The Test of Time
by Fenix Maelstrom
Summary: When Chao was defeated by Negi on the third day a problem occurred that time itself had to correct. The Negi and others in Eva's resort were thrown back in time one thousand years. Now they must fight to make it back. Review Please!
1. Chapter 1: Hard Times

Negima

He darted through the forest with grace and speed, his long black hair billowing with the wind. His objective was nearly complete; all he had left was to report his findings to his comrades.

As he sprinted through the wood, it was as if he wasn't there at all…the wildlife paid him no heed and the foliage left no trace of his ever trading a path. It was as though his legs made no movement hand his feet met no ground. But he was moving...and with great speed. His ninja background lent him his stealth…and his demonic blood bought him the silence of the wildlife.

A young woman with deep purple hair leapt down from her place atop a large boulder and began walking towards the entrance of the forest. She lifted her staff up and leaned it across her shoulder. She had been waiting for the return of their seeker, making sure to guard both the entrance to the forest and the location of her comrades if the seeker had been followed.

As she headed for the edge of the wood, she felt a presence coming her way…and fast. She readied her staff in front of her…locked tight to cast the delayed spell she has incanted. Had he been an enemy, she'd have had to call for backup. He appeared from the forest as if he had been created in front of it that very moment. The young woman had so much as blinked when the figure of a dark skinned young man appeared. The young man was the seeker she was waiting for, it was easy to tell. After all, most men don't have dog ears and a tail.

The young woman walked up to the man and placed one hand on his bare chest and the other behind on of his ears. He instinctively pulled her closer as she scratched behind his ear and wrapped the other arm around him. He inhaled deeply, her scent flickering through his head and pulled away from her.

"Sorry, almost lost my senses there. We're not done with the assignment yet," the man said dutifully.

"You're right. Were you followed?" the young woman replied.

"No, but there was a village there, no one noticed me, thankfully."

"This is good…" the woman said slightly irritated. In a moments notice, she took her staff and smacked him across the head.

The man recovered his balance and looked at her with a sense of disbelief, "What the hell was that for?!"

"Kotaro! Do you realize how worried I've been! You've been gone for three days!"

A look of confusion spread across the young man's face.

"Yue, you were told that this assignment would take a little while…I had to move as quickly and as quietly as possible. I could only move through the village at night…if I could have moved faster I would have."

The young woman still looked flustered when Kotaro finally noticed.

"…And I like what you've done with your hair…" he said at last.

A smile spread across the woman's face and she embraced the dog-demon again.

"I didn't really want to cut it, but when we were forced to steal supplies while you were gone, I was the only one to get seen. I had to cut it to keep from being identified by travelers."

"You did it yourself?"

"No, Konoka did it for me before she left for another village. We've been running short on supplies a lot lately."

Kotaro looked in the direction of the camp. He'd only been gone for a few days, but he knew that their base was no long where he thought it was. They'd been forced to move about very secretively lately…it was almost like all of the towns had a sort of grudge against them. But then…they were an odd bunch. The group consisted of two biracial warriors, three powerful mages…one a combat mage, a mage/philosopher, and a woman with the ability to completely nullify magic. Not too many people were keen on assisting the group; mages were usually very weak and biracials were considered taboo.

"Kotaro! Yue!" a voice echoed from the distance.

Kotaro glanced at the area the voice came from. Three people were headed in their direction. Kotaro knew immediately what had alerted the three of his return; the young girl in the lead was holding a book in front of her.

It wasn't just any book…it was a mage's book; one of great power at that. It was the trademark of Nodoka Miyazaki…the wife of Negima Springfield and master of time and space magic. The book of hers was only the first step of unlocking her abilities. She had received the book, which had the ability to peer into the minds of those whose name she called out, in a probationary contract with Negi when they had first met…when they were still just teacher and student. That had been ten years prior or, more literally, hadn't been for another five hundred years.

Nodoka was shorter than Kotaro now, at around five foot five. She had been much taller than him when he had first met her…but that felt like eons ago. Her long blue hair seemed to belie her abilities. She was a young Japanese woman…who would have expected that beneath that calm, quiet demeanor there was a fierce mage with the ability to both control your mind and the space around you.

Behind her walked Asuna Kagurazaka…a woman trained in both Kendo and Shenmei School Martial Arts. Those two things alone would have made her a powerful adversary in her own right, but there was 

something about her that made her even more dangerous. She had the ability to completely nullify any and all magic. She was a scourge to any mage that opposed them.

She was much taller than Nodoka…at least four inches, putting her on par with Kotaro. She had dark orange hair that she constantly wore in pigtails with bells attached to the ties that held them up. The bells had been given to her by a man she had fallen desperately in love with…but as things stood now, the man hadn't even been born yet.

And the most dangerous of them all walked slowly behind the group. The man Kotaro considered his eternal rival and sparring partner, Negi Springfield. His dark red hair greatly resembled that of his father's, with a single lock in front longer than the rest of his hair. At one point in time he had needed glasses, but with such limited means to attain them, he was forced to do without until the magic flowing through his body naturally healed his eyes. That alone showed the group that he was the most powerful.

He was, without a doubt, one of the most powerful combat mages in existence, no matter what time they were in. With the advent of the Cassopedia, he was forced to localize his abilities until he discovered what many mages would have considered enlightenment. His abilities could reach as far as controlling the power of the heavens and earth. Kotaro had once been the unfortunate recipient of one of his most powerful techniques. Had Negi have continued laying into him…Kotaro wasn't so sure he'd be around today.

"How was your trip?" Nodoka asked sweetly. The girl always confused Kotaro: how could someone with her kind of power seem so naive?

"Absolutely wonderful…I just love going days without sleep, jumping from rooftop to rooftop in the middle of the night knowing that if I get caught, there won't be a tomorrow morning," he replied sheepishly.

This comment earned him another whack in the back of the head from Yue. Nodoka was her best friend after all.

Kotaro struggled back to his feet, still recoiling from the blow.

"It went well, I guess," he finally responded.

"And…?" Negi asked, finally catching up to the others.

"I can sense stronger magic from it than usual. I'm almost positive that it's going to start glowing tonight."

"Alright then," Asuna added, "All that's left is to wait for Konoka and Setsuna to return and we can set off."

"But…" Kotaro added in, "A small village is built around it. That's what I was talking about, sneaking around on rooftops."

"They'll be back soon," Nodoka said, staring in her book, "We can travel by nighttime. We should make it there before morning. We should be able to sneak through the village before daybreak."

"There's one more problem," Kotaro finally finished, "The village belongs to the bird tribe."

There was a long silence before Nodoka finally piped up, "They're back."

Negi and Yue both mounted their staffs and began the flight back to the campsite, while Asuna and Kotaro made their way by ground; Nodoka, as usual, rode shotgun to Negi on his staff. While Asuna couldn't hope to ever fly because of her magic cancelling ability (it drains the magic from the staff while in flight) Kotaro merely preferred to use the ground, even though his Inugami magic allowed him the power of wand-less flight.

The campsite was small. There was no need for a huge, extravagant base; the group was constantly on the move. They had to do everything they could to make sure they didn't intervene in anything that was happening at the time, lest it have a lasting impact on the future. Sure enough though, when they reached the campsite, they could see the silhouette of two people in the sunset.

The one in front was around Nodoka's height, with long black hair that was tied back. She was garbed in mostly white and, while it wasn't for any particular reason, it was a 'not so subtle' hint that she was a healer. The one in the back was a different story though. She wore a white shirt that completely exposed her back and her arms and she wore a long black skirt. Her hair was nearly platinum white and it looked as though her eyes were completely white. There was a very large thing that set her off from her companion though…well, two very large things: wings. She had two enormous white wings on her back and, had she not wielded a large Japanese sword and wore the countenance of a warrior…one would have mistaken her for an angel.

Nodoka didn't need to look at her book to see that their plea for supplies had failed. It didn't surprise her; they had yet to receive supplies from any of the villages they had turned to, even when it was Negi and Nodoka who went to beseech their assistance. Most of the time, they were forced to go at night and steal food and water.

Konoka began to say something, but Negi interrupted her.

"It doesn't matter Konoka," he stated calmly, "We're moving out now. The World tree is starting its cycle."

"Well, that's good…" Setsuna responded quickly, "'Cause we've got to go. Now!"

Kotaro looked over in the direction the two had come from. There must have been twenty of them…mages and partners.

"Come on, hurry up guys!" Yue yelled as the ground beneath her feet started glowing.

"Vente Nos!" she yelled, pointing her staff at the oncoming force.

A strong gust of wind forced itself from the tip of her staff, blasting through the crowd and knocking many of them down.

"Forget the rest of the supplies!" Negi commanded, "We need to go now!"

He grabbed Nodoka's hand while Kotaro scooped up Yue. Asuna quickly tied the supplies they had gathered to Negi's staff and hurried him and Nodoka into the air. Kotaro forced Yue to take flight as well when he saw Setsuna launch off with Konoka, and he was left standing there with Asuna.

"I know you can take care of yourself, Asuna," Kotaro began, "And I'm sure that you could hold them off and make it in time, but I don't think I like that idea much."

Asuna looked at him, her massive sword already drawn and held in front of her.

"How about this," he added, "I'll launch the both of us off, and you can stop to magic from interfering with it!"

Asuna nodded and grabbed Kotaro's hand. She had only done this with him once before, but since he didn't use a staff or wand to take flight she knew he would be able to fly the both of them out of there. All she heard was his incantation…short and sweet.

"Inugami Air Fang!"

They were lifted in the air faster than she'd ever seen Negi or Yue fly. Kotaro had been right in assuming he'd need her help in stopping the mages from shooting them down though. At least ten spells were launched at them from the distance…but it looked like much more. Asuna couldn't really do anything about the spells though. All she could do was smack the ones that targeted Kotaro directly with her sword and let the others hit her. It's not like they had any effect on her…all she could feel was a little tingling, next thing she knew, there was an impact…or at least it looked like one. She couldn't feel it and it didn't leave any lasting impression that showed there actually was an impact.

As they flew through the air, Asuna couldn't help but remember how it all happened. Konoka was accidently had a magic overload in Eva's Resort. Under any normal circumstance, Konoka would have just passed out. End of story. But this wasn't any normal circumstance…they were in a magically enriched resort where even a novice could get off some high level spells. And again, had that been all, they would still be in their time. But Negi had on his person the Cassopedia…a gift from Chao Lingshen that allowed one to travel back in the past one day, and only during the three days that the world tree, one of the magical focal points of the planet, was in bloom.

Kotaro had been about to enter the resort when the accident occurred...because Konoka, Negi, Asuna, Yue, Setsuna, Chisame, Fei Ku, Kaede, and Nodoka were trying to leave at the exact same moment. When Kotaro and the others activated the resort at the exact same time, it caused a magic torrent to hit the group. Not only did the torrent set off Konoka, but it set off Negi as well…causing a magical overload powerful enough to obliterate the boundaries of the Cassopedia. The problem was, however, that the Cassopedia had no way of activating itself through magic alone…it had to be turned to operate. 

But it turned out that Chao's plan had been, all along, to move Negi through time…past the third day of the festival…but instead of going forward in time, it went reverse. It threw them back over one thousand years…into the 11th century.

Since then, the group had been making its way forward in time, but not without losses. Chisame didn't survive the trip into the past…it appeared that she was absorbed by the magic along the way…or that she was dropped off in a different time. Fei Ku was a different story.

Sometimes the Cassopedia was slightly off on its targeting and they appeared hundreds of miles away or in the ocean. There were even times where they appeared miles above land…but in Fei Ku's instance, they appeared in China…in the 13th Century. It was one of two times that their plea for assistance was answered gracefully. The group had been forced to appeal to a group of Mongols, and as it just so happened, Genghis Kahn himself was in charge of this set. He welcomed the group with open arms and treated them as honored guests. The party really did enjoy themselves for the four years they lived amongst the Mongols. Yue had even been given an opportunity to speak with Marco Polo himself, and exchanged philosophical ideals with Genghis on a daily basis. It was during this time that Genghis Kahn personally wed Negi and Nodoka and he himself was married: to Fei Ku.

Negi couldn't object to Fei Ku's desire to wed Genghis. He was a brilliant man and a profound martial artist and, while Negi was concerned over the timeline, he couldn't help but remind himself that if he managed to return to his time and stop the Cassopedia from ever being used, the two never would have met in the first place. When the time came to return to the World tree, Genghis even told the group of a place similar to that of the World tree in China. The group owed more than they could ever repay to Genghis, but he didn't want to be repaid. They had introduced him to his wife, so he considered himself in debt to them.

So with fond farewells and many tears shed, the group bid their farewell to both Genghis and Fei Ku. They were fully stocked on provisions, they had learned many new languages, and Genghis had even given Yue a new staff. It was in that instance that they lost Kaede as well. She had decided to stay behind and go to Japan to create the Koga clan. Her basis was that her mother always told her that she looked exactly like the founder of the clan. Whether this was true or not, the group had no power to stop her. She too bid her fond farewells to her comrades and was on her way.


	2. Chapter 2: No Time Like the Past

Asuna stopped thinking for a moment and looked around. The mages were now long gone but Kotaro didn't yield his speed. However, she knew that they were in a desperate situation and didn't argue with him or demand to be released.

Asuna couldn't help but mutter the irony to herself, "Five hundred years from home, and no time to waste…"

Kotaro looked down at her and smirked to himself, "You know, you should consider this. Look around you…we're in the sixteenth century!"

"Yeah, I kinda know this, else wise we wouldn't be trying to make it home."

"No, really consider it I mean. We are in the sixteenth century! Look around you! This forest won't be here in our time. The village that we're going to be sneaking through might not be there when we pop out in a hundred years. You're seeing lives pass you by without even thinking about it. We are making history."

Asuna couldn't help but look at him with curiosity and then smiled her evil little smile, "You've been hanging around Yue too much."

"Yeah, I know."

There was a bit of a silence afterwards until Kotaro piped up.

"I remember Paru…was it? Wasn't she training with you guys at Eva's resort?"

"Negi and I were considering that too," Asuna replied quickly, "but I don't think she was moved through time like we were. Either she was dropped off in a different time, or she just wasn't pulled in."

"What d'you mean by that?"

"The way Negi sees it, since you were initially transported here with us it's possible that Haruna ended up switching places with you before the magic overload caused the Cassopedia to react."

"Hold on for a second…you mean that because I went to Eva's resort at the same time you were coming out, Paru-nechan ended up switching places with me in the jump?"

"It's only one of many possibilities."

"And you, Asuna," Kotaro added in a sort of sarcastic tone, "have been spending too much time around Negi."

Asuna stuck out her tongue for a moment and returned her gaze to the forest. She hated to admit it, but Kotaro was right. She had seen things that no one else had seen; living through times that only Evangaline had lived through. She wasn't just seeing the past…she was living it.

It only took a few minutes to catch up to Negi and the others, but there was no time to chat. The group checked to see that Kotaro and Asuna were fine and continued their flight, this time with Asuna leaping across the treetops.

The group traveled for hours across endless fields of pine, not even taking a moment to look back. There was no point in looking back…it was all the past to them, and it was something they could only hope to never see again.

It was nearly midnight when Kotaro issued his comrades to stop, hoping to pass through the bird tribe village unnoticed.

"I didn't realize the bird tribe once inhabited the Mahora grounds," Konoka whispered to Setsuna.

"It was a bit more complicated than that…" Setsuna replied, "It isn't just the Mahora grounds that the bird tribe controls. At this specific point in time the bird tribe controls most of Northern Japan."

Asuna, Konoka, and Nodoka looked at Setsuna with fear in their eyes. It had been a hundred years earlier that the group had assisted the bird tribe in taking back one of their territories.

"Are you saying that we were the cause of this?" Asuna questioned.

"It wouldn't surprise me," Setsuna replied, unwavering.

"But," Kotaro began, interrupting one of Konoka's comments, "This isn't anything we of the magic world didn't know about."

The three looked at Kotaro now, still slightly puzzled.

"Now I don't know the finer details," Kotaro continued, "Remember, I didn't get much of an education, but nearing the end of the fifteenth century, after regaining much of their land, the bird tribe went on an offensive. The killed hundreds of mages and warriors and burned every village along the way. However, it was in the beginning of the seventeenth century that the real war began."

The group watched Kotaro with the same commitment they had show Negi during their school classes, unwavering and completely absorbed.

"It was nearing the middle of the war that things began to turn for the mages…with the…" Kotaro stopped, white faced.

"With what?" Konoka and Nodoka whined at the same time, apparently completely absorbed.

"With nothing…don't sweat over it…" Kotaro finished almost in a whisper. Yue couldn't help but notice that he was staring directly at Setsuna.

With one swift motion, there was a book floating in front of both Yue and Nodoka.

"Don't read his mind," Setsuna stated sharply.

Nodoka looked stunned; so did Asuna…she had never seen Setsuna lose her cool that fast. With a flash, Nodoka's book returned to the pactio card she had made with Negi.

"Oh no…" Negi muttered to himself, "This is NOT going to end well."

Nodoka and the others looked to see what Negi was talking about; at first they were delighted that the World tree was actually glowing, but then they saw what had dashed Negi's hopes. Members of the Bird Tribe had surrounded the tree, apparently guarding the select few that were closest to it. Nodoka began to ask what it was they were doing when she felt it: a rush of power. These birds weren't admiring the tree, or protecting it from outsiders; they were casting high level magic, using the World tree to amplify it.

Negi got a serious look on his face and looked down for a moment.

"Don't think about it…" Kotaro stated, standing up and taking a few steps forward.

"Just do it!" Yue finished before Kotaro got a chance. He gave a glance and a smile back at her, and he leapt on top of one of the huts.

Negi turned his glance to Asuna and the others, only to find them doing the same thing: slowly sneaking their way through the village to the World tree. He couldn't help but admire their resolve; only ten years ago, they had been his students…now they were on par with him in several ways, and more decisive than he ever was.

It only took a few moments before the group discovered they had no need to sneak around; the village was empty. It appeared that the place was composed of only warriors and mages and that there were no families at all. It was more like a barracks than a villa.

As they reached the outskirts of the barracks, they quickly realized they were being watched. The warriors surrounding the World tree had all drawn their weapons and were converging on a single point: their location.

"Fifty…sixty…" Kotaro muttered, using the slight bit of telepathy he had.

"Give up counting…" Yue stated flatly, "You make their numbers seem like everything."

"But there's a whole lot of'em…" Kotaro muttered, rubbing the back of his head.

"We have to stop them no matter what," Negi stated decisively.

"Oh, what about the timeline?" Nodoka asked, hoping that Negi was sure of his decision.

"For all we know, this was meant to happen," Setsuna responded in his place, "There's no time to guess about the future. This is here and now, and if we don't fight now, there won't be a future. This is life and death…on the battlefield, it doesn't matter if you're a man or a woman, an adult or child, it you choose to fight, you must fight with everything you've got…"

"There's no time to worry about tomorrow…" Negi finished.

The enemy quickly spanned about, surrounding the group on all sides.

"Kotaro!" Negi shouted, "Setsuna! Asuna! You know what to do! Give Yue and Konoka time to cast!"

The group of four formed a square formation around the three mages. In the blink of an eye, the enemy was on them. For each opponent the warriors felled, another two appeared in its place; for every strike that was meant to be dealt, there were four more left to parry. But this was nothing new to the group…they had been hardened by many battles thus far, and had been forced to defend themselves on many different occasions already…it was almost routine.

Asuna threw a powerful blow and, as the attack collided with several enemies, she felt the flow of time seem to slow. All of the bird tribe members stopped their attack and stared at the middle of the congregation. Even Asuna and her allies turned to look; it was as though a forced recognition spell required them to stop and watch in bewilderment.

Nodoka was floating in midair, at least ten feet above the ground. There were now several of her books surrounding her, each three feet from her body, moving around her in a sort of orbit. When she opened her eyes, her body seemed to glow, and she sang out a haunting melody:

"Hush now my children, don't say a word,  
I come from the Garden of E-den.  
Still now young children, don't fear the sound  
My voice, it protrudes from the heavens.  
Come forth Queen Mab, we wish you to stay  
Oh mother of magic and rea-son  
Bring forth Mor-phe-us, the king of our dreams  
Please bring forth the Garden of E-den.  
Bring…Us…Time…For…rejoicing your life and the sea-sons  
Come forth Queen Mab, please bring us your song…  
That comes from the Garden of E-den."

Everything was silent for a moment until, very slowly, the enemy fell to their knees and hit the ground…out cold.

Negi was tired…ridiculously tired; it seemed that Nodoka's spell was more powerful than even the anti-magic barrier that Yue and Konoka had erected. Everyone had been affected by the spell save, of course, Asuna and Nodoka.

The two left the party behind to gather their senses…they would need them for the trip, and they knew that there was no longer any threat from the bird warriors. It would be days before any of them would awake.

"A songstress and her partner?" one of the bird mages piped up and the two approached the World tree, "I didn't realize it was now orthodox for mages to partner with the same gender. I guess we did more damage that we could have hoped to too your forces."

"I'm not her partner," Asuna replied arrogantly, "But I would suggest that you abandon your posts right now and return to wherever it is you came from."

The bird mage sneered, "Not a chance. We're almost done here…and when we are, your pathetic race will become and endangered species!"

Asuna slowly walked towards the group of mages and summoned her sword.

"That won't do you any good. You think something made of metal can break through our barriers? You'd be lucky if one of your pathetic little mages could even land a single spe.."

The mage's voice was cut off by Asuna. She held him in the air by his throat.

"But my…cough…barrier?!"

"I'm not her partner," Asuna repeated, throwing the mage at his companions, "I'm not affected by magic. I have absolute magic cancelling ability."

Asuna quickly made her way through the magical barrier the birds had erected and walked to the center of the circle. She stared down at a pentagram…not a magical one, but an iron one…attached to a piece of twine. In one swift movement she grabbed it up and the circle faded.

"It's done, no more…" one of the mages spoke up, "We'll leave…please, allow us to live…"

Asuna motioned them to leave, and they took to the skies, leaving their sleeping allies behind.

She turned her head to make sure that there were none left and saw the party walking towards the world tree. As they reached Asuna, she reached out her hand handed the pentagram to Negi, which he quickly recoiled from.

"What was that about?"Asuna asked.

"There's a huge concentration of magic in it…" Negi responded, "They were probably summoning as much magic into it as possible…sucking it out of the World tree to use for combat later."

"You can do that?" Asuna asked, shocked.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, and anyone who wears it would have an unlimited supply of magic, or at least near unlimited. Considering most magic only requires a slight bit, the amount of magic pouring from the World tree would be more than enough to turn a small flame into an inferno. It could easily make just a single mage the most powerful warrior on the battlefield."

Asuna picked it up and made to hand it to Negi again, but he quickly refused it.

"Whoever uses that amulet will undoubtedly become a powerful spellcaster…but it's dangerous. And to top it all off, it's painful to use. Even touching it burns."

Asuna looked at him flatly.

"Okay, it would burn anyone that wasn't you, Asuna."

She shrugged and made to throw it away when Setsuna stopped her.

"It would be wise for you to hang onto that and drain the magic from it…" she stated, releasing Asuna's arm.

Asuna thought about it for a moment; Setsuna was right. If anyone were to get a hold of the amulet, it could cause some serious problems. That kind of magic could make even a novice spellcaster the ace in the hole for a battle. Asuna grabbed the two edges of twine carrying the amulet and tied it around her neck. If anyone was going to try to steal it from her, they were going to have a damn hard time doing it.


	3. Chapter 3: A New Century

Asuna looked to the World tree and noticed that everyone was waiting for her so they could start the jump, everyone that is, except Setsuna, who was waiting for her former pupil to walk with her. As Asuna began her walk up the hill towards the World tree, Setsuna stopped her.

"Don't lose that amulet…" Setsuna warned her.

"I know…it's dangerous…" Asuna agreed.

"It's more than that…" the half-bird whispered, looking unusually serious, even for her.

"What is it?"

"I wasn't with the bird tribe for very long Asuna, but from the time I was there I learned that the birds were fierce warriors, unrivaled by many."

"Okay…" Asuna remarked, still curious about Setsuna's meaning.

"Isn't it strange that the mages gave up so easily?"

It finally hit Asuna: if the bird tribe were as fierce as Setsuna remembered, it made no sense that they would have surrendered something so powerful to them.

"If so…why…?" Asuna began to ask.

"They expect us to use it," Setsuna replied flatly, "It may be something more than what we think it is…who knows, it may even be a weapon they plan to use to obliterate everyone on the battlefield as a last resort…there's no way of telling."

"More specifically, it's probably a trap that's supposed to be triggered no matter who uses it," Yue piped up, now standing directly beside them. Asuna nearly died from shock: that was the one thing that hadn't changed about Yue over the past ten years…her ability to sneak up on two people in a deep conversation and nearly cause both of them to have heart attacks.

"How long have you been standing there?" Asuna more screamed than questioned.

"Long enough to know what you guys are talking about," she replied in her famous monotone, "Anyway, it's more likely that it's a tool for summoning than a bomb Setsuna."

She lifted her magic encyclopedia to her face.

"I was looking up something in here when I thought about the amulet you have there. See, we as humans can only hold so much magic which is, in fact, the same amount that we're born with; the same goes for those of the bird tribe. If one of us were to activate it without being completely drained of our own magical reserves, we'd most likely cause a magical overload much like the one that brought us here to the past."

"So…this is our way home?" Asuna yelled excitedly.

"Not quite. While it would be wonderful if it were, this amulet releases all its magical energy at once. That's why they chose the pentagram…it is a catalyst for spellcasting and would force all the magic in the chosen artifact out in one blow."

Setsuna and Asuna looked down at the amulet for a brief moment before Yue continued.

"More precisely, they were planning on using it for a mass summons or the summoning of a giant ogre-demon much like that time during our school fieldtrip.

Asuna looked down at the amulet again; she'd forgotten about the school trip a long time ago. She'd lost a lot of her older memories in time…much like she'd lost a bit of who she used to be. The group had to adapt to their surroundings in order to survive, and that meant their old ways had to go.

"It's best," Yue continued, "If you didn't let anyone get a hold of that amulet…ever. Who knows how long it's going to take for you to drain it completely…best not leave it to chance."

With that, Yue turned and walked back to the others.

Asuna grasped the amulet in her hand and considered what Yue had told her. Setsuna clapped her comrade on the shoulder and the two followed Yue to the top of the hill: to the World tree.

"Any idea on what's going to be happening when we get there?" Nodoka asked the others.

"We're going to be appearing in the seventeenth century," Kotaro replied, "More than likely, we're going to appear in the middle of a battlefield. The seventeenth century was when the bird tribe lost its goal of world domination…if we're really lucky, it may have already happened when we get there."

"You know better than that, Kotaro," Setsuna responded, "We've got something to take care of in that time."

Negi looked at the two and nodded his head; he was finally beginning to understand things.

Konoka looked at the three with curiosity, but decided against pursuing it…it didn't seem like Setsuna was too keen on introducing the subject either, so it must be serious.

Asuna gave one last look at the amulet and grabbed Negi and Konoka's hands; it was about time to begin the jump. She could see two little sprites on the Cassopedia and watched as one told the other how far to turn it. She began to feel a little lightheaded and knew that they were about to do it; with a quick breath, they disappeared in time.

Seventeenth Century B.C. – 1632 B.C.E.

Asuna opened her eyes and felt wind rush across her body. She looked down to see that they were falling rapidly.

"Not again!" she yelled, "I hate it when we appear in the air!"

This had happened a few times before, and each of the fliers in the group knew who they had to grab. Within a moment, the group was on the ground and surveying the area.

"Well," Negi began, "We appeared beside the World tree, but what happened to the barracks?"

"That was a hundred or so years ago, Negi, it's probably been gone for a long time…" Nodoka replied, grabbing his arm.

"It's not that," he replied, pointing at the place where the barracks had been, "They're still there…but what happened to them?"

The barracks were demolished, but it wasn't a normal demolition…it looked more like it had been stepped on.

"I don't recall this from any of the history books…" Setsuna whispered to Negi.

Negi heard screaming in the background and began to look around; he managed to find the source of the noise when he looked up. In a moments notice, Nodoka was red in the face, Negi was lip-locked with Chisame, and Chamo was screaming "Pactio!"

Chisame jumped off Negi's chest and stood a few feet from him…she resembled a boiled red beet.

"I see you made it here before us!" Chamo confirmed from atop Chisame's shoulder, "Not by long though, methinks. Time enough for you to take those pills I got you though…and what's Kotaro doing here? And where are Ku Roshi and Kaede? And what about Yuetchi's hair?"

The group looked at the two. They were stunned…they hadn't seen either of them in over ten years, and here they were, young as ever.

"Where's Haruna?" Chamo asked, but was answered when Chisame was slammed to the ground by the falling Paru.

"Oh, there she is…nice landing."

Negi walked towards them and picked Chamo up by the fur on his back.

"Chamo-kun?" he asked, "Is it really you?"

"Of course it's me Anesan. Wait…has your voice gotten deeper? And why did you take those pills and…" Chamo finally realized what had happened, "How long has it been since you've seen me?"

"It's been over ten years, Chamo."

The ermine's mouth dropped to the ground.

"It's only been a few seconds for us…" Haruna stated, walking towards the group.

"You've both changed so much…" she cried, grabbing Yue and Nodoka in a painful hold. Haruna's look changed from mystified to devilish in a moments notice, "And now you have to tell me all about it."

It only took a few moments to decide where they should put up camp: they decided on the remnants of the barracks. Kotaro and Setsuna set out to hunt for food and the others gathered firewood for the night. Asuna volunteered for guard duty when Kotaro and Setsuna returned and Negi promised to relieve her when her shift was up. When the food was strung above the fire and the night watch was decided, the group decided it was time to fill Haruna, Chamo, and Chisame in on the details of their journey.

"So you and Negi are an item now?" Haruna asked.

"Married, actually," she responded idly.

The three newcomers nearly choked.

"Married!?" Haruna nearly screamed.

Nodoka quieted Haruna down. "Yes, married…but as a word of warning…please keep your voice down. These times are very dangerous…no telling who or what might be out there wanting to kill us."

Haruna gaped. Nodoka spoke of it so idly…it was as if she was a completely different person.

"So," Haruna asked, "What about Yue?"

"Kotaro," Yue answered swiftly.

Haruna gaped again and looked at the dog-demon sitting beside Yue and just then noticed that Yue's hand had been resting on Kotaro's thigh.

"So…have you two…umm…" Paru began.

"You ask that question and I'll snatch your tongue out of your mouth," the philosopher quickly shot.

Haruna's mouth clamped shut and Yue smiled.

"Yes, that's all I'm saying…leave it be," she stated to her old friend.

Haruna looked over to Kotaro who seemed to be spacing out. "Why aren't you saying anything, Kotaro? It seemed like just yesterday that we couldn't seem to shut you up!" she joked.

"Tough times," Kotaro replied quickly, "I'm listening to Asuna's footsteps. We were ambushed once...Asuna couldn't call out to us. Since then I've kept my ears on the lookout…even if it were Negi out there, there's no telling how powerful the enemy may be…so while Asuna may be enough to stall 

them…it might take every one of us to take them out. She's our comrade…as are you…there's no way in hell that I'm going to let anyone get killed for the sake of the rest of us."

Chamo looked seriously at the dog-demon. It had been only a few seconds for him, but those few seconds lasted for ten years to the others. Negi was a grown man and Asuna was a full fledged woman…and now it appeared as though Kotaro had learned humility. Everyone had changed…Nodoka went from being meek and mild to being strong-willed and very open. Yue had become a proficient sorceress and Konoka had become an amazing healer…from what he had seen of her in the past few hours, she could probably heal an army of terminally wounded…and apparently she was also a traditional mage as well. He couldn't help but wonder if she could test Evangeline's immortality…or if any of the others could.

But above all others…it appeared as if Setsuna had changed the most. She seemed much like her older self…the self that existed before she had come in contact with Asuna and Negi. She had a very stern demeanor, and even her looks had changed. She now wore her hair straight down and obviously had run out of hair dye. Apparently she had been wearing contacts before, because now she had bright blue eyes…but most of all, she now kept her wings out all the time. She was no longer ashamed of who she was. All in all, Chamo couldn't help but notice that she did resemble an angel: white hair, blue eyes, and marvelous white wings.

"How appropriate," Chamo thought to himself, "A beautiful female angel guarding a gorgeous female healer… Have I gone to heaven?"

"Okay guys," Asuna began as she returned from her shift, "I think it's about time to hit the sack. We're getting up early and getting out of here. According to Negi's findings, the World tree won't start its next cycle for a couple of months."

"Months!" Chamo, Haruna, and Chisame all screamed at the same time.

"Yes, months," Asuna responded quietly, "And seriously, keep the noise level down. We're in the seventeenth century. There's a war going on around here right now between the bird tribe and humans…we might be young, but they won't hesitate to kill us."

Paru and Chisame gulped: they'd never experienced battle and the thought of dying didn't settle well with them.

Within a few moments, the camp had settled down in their makeshift tents and all except the night watch drifted to sleep.

--

Asuna stood atop the remnants of the northern wall of the barracks, staring at the stars: her vision focusing on the light to see her surroundings. There wasn't a movement that missed her senses: she could hear the rustle of the leaves in the wind; the sound of the crickets finding their places; and the feel 

of the cold against her skin…telling her that she was still there…still alive, waiting for her chance to return home.

In the blink of an eye Asuna's sword was brought forth and swung in a heavy arc, stopping only inches from Setsuna's face.

"Careful Sempai, no telling when I might fail to stop…" she chuckled.

"You know better than that, Asuna," Setsuna replied, "You'd have been disarmed before the attack was launched."

Asuna closed her eyes for a brief moment, letting the air around her soften.

"So," she said as she returned her sword to its pactio card, "What's up?"

Setsuna's face turned slightly pale.

"I've been thinking…" she replied in a near whisper.

"About?" Asuna replied curiously.

"About what's been happening. Look at us…ten years ago we set out to get home…determined by any means to get back to our own time."

Asuna looked down for a moment in reminisce.

"We've taken lives, Asuna. We've done what's absolutely necessary to survive…but…in all honesty, why?"

Asuna looked up to Setsuna confused.

"Look at us, Asuna. We're grown…we've done so much…but when we get back to our time…it won't be our time anymore."

Asuna became immediately alarmed: Setsuna was right.

"But Negi's saying all we have to do is stop Kotaro from trying to enter Eva's resort and stop us from using the Cassopedia. Once that happens, this whole ordeal will never have happened."

"Is that really what you want, Asuna?" Setsuna asked in a deep melancholy, "Look at all that's happened: Negi's married to Nodoka; Kotaro and Yue have found each other; Ojou-sama and I have become so close; and you've grown into an amazing woman Asuna! Look at this! Fei Ku is married to Genghis Khan and Kaede has formed her own Ninja village!"

--

"I don't understand!" Asuna nearly screamed as she opened her eyes.

No one was there. Setsuna was gone and her sword lay on the ground beside her.

Had she been asleep? It was still night time and the air felt much the same as it had the moment before she had had the trifling dream. She glanced over to see Setsuna walking her way and she stood up to greet her.

Setsuna suddenly halted and drew her sword; Asuna felt a ping in her psyche and turned around just in time to block the massive sword that swung at her. Behind the massive sword was a being that looked more bird than man with a black beak and black gleaming eyes.

With force that seemed to shock the bird-man, Asuna repelled him and screamed for Kotaro to wake the others. She knew that Chisame and Haruna hadn't battled before, but one glance to the outskirts of the barracks informed her that they'd better learn fast. A force as big as the one they were about to face could prove devastating if the two refused. The group wasn't just filled with members of the bird tribe, but members of the demon clans as well: this battle wasn't going to be easy.


	4. Chapter 4: Only Tomorrow Can Tell

In a moments notice, the group was engaged in battle. It would have been simple had the enemy come from the front and remained in the front, but as swiftly as the tide, the barracks were surrounded. With only seven total fighters, the group was doing everything in their power to keep from being completely overrun. Never in their lives had the fought an enemy as diverse and massive as this one. The battle had only been raging for a few minutes when the warriors were forced to abandon their posts on the walls to protect the other three.

The battle was nearly a stalemate and, thanks to Paru's Artifact, the warriors had many golems that were willing to take crucial blows and stall the stronger opponents. With the release of Haruna's most powerful minion, a flying swordsman, the battle seemed to be turning in their favor and they were finally pushing the enemy back, but a stray longsword put an end to that.

Kotaro was sent reeling back into the three non-combatants, blood flowing from his right eye. A sword had managed to get a vertical slash in on Kotaro, and the cut ran through his right eyebrow all the way through to just past his nose. Immediately Yue and Konoka fell back.

"Kotaro!" Yue screamed, grabbing the dog-demon up in her arms.

"I'm…okay," Kotaro managed to gasp out, trying to sit up. Blood was still flowing from his eye socket down his face, his hand covering the central of the wound. Konoka quickly began incanting her healing spell, but was stopped short.

"The damage is too severe for you to heal with a quick spell!" Kotaro scolded, "Get back to the battle…without us the other four are in deep trouble!"

Konoka stared at Kotaro intently and recited a few short words.

"That will stop the bleeding," Konoka stated bluntly, "I'll see if I can fix your eye after the battle."

With that Konoka returned to the front beside Setsuna, launching a devastating spell.

Kotaro struggled to his feet and quickly stumbled.

"This is going to be difficult with just one eye…" he muttered.

He felt himself being hoisted by his right arm and walked forward; he looked to his right. Yue was walking him back towards the battlefield.

"I won't be of much use to you guys…I'll probably just get in the way with my vision as screwed up as it is…" he muttered to her, feeling slightly helpless.

"I have an idea, Kotaro…" Yue replied.

--

"Pactio!" the ermine yelled as Yue kissed Kotaro.

There was a blinding light and a card appeared before Kotaro and he caught it with his left hand. In the picture, he was holding two swords, both slender and sleek in form.

"I realize that this will give me an advantage in battle, Yue," he said as he looked his love in the eyes, "But I'm still incapacitated…I can only see out of my left eye."

"Close your eyes…" Yue whispered to him, and he slowly closed the one eye he could see out of.

Kotaro gasped; he could see everything around him without even really seeing it. With the pactio in full effect, his senses were sharpened beyond belief. With his sense of smell, he could tell where everything was and with his sense of hearing, he could tell how far. With his sense of touch, he could feel the changes in the wind as the people around him made their movements…but all he could taste was the blood left in his mouth after the attack that left him blind in one eye. This thought is that which drove him to make his next move as he heard himself cry, "Adeat!"

Chamo's mouth dropped as he watched a vertical line form in front of him: a line of corpses. Kotaro's eyes were closed tightly, but he no longer seemed to need them. He read the enemies movements with the change of the wind and could tell where he hit with the sounds their bodies made. The only thing that was on Kotaro's mind at the moment was vengeance for his eye…vengeance for the suffering their enemies were causing them. Vengeance for the tears he had seen in Yue's eyes.

The battle had lopsided against the enemy forces. Where once they were dead even and they were pressing the attack, now they were fleeing from a single warrior who was fighting them with his eyes closed. In their worse possible maneuver, they abandoned fighting the members of the group they found weakest. Nodoka took their foolish maneuver and played it against them.

Serene words could be heard coming from her mouth, and all the enemy forces stopped to gaze upon her as she took to the air with her spell, floating with the pure magical energies flowing around her. Only one person hadn't stopped to look at her…and that person was slashing through the demon hoard, several at a time. The enemy had no idea what was happening because Nodoka's spell had forced their minds nearly blank…left to do nothing but stare at her, but she knew that once she stopped speaking, the demons would once again resume their attack.

This was her most intriguing spell. It took several moments to cast and was of little use for one on one, but with numbers as they were, it was perfect. It froze both enemies and allies alike in a trace, emptying their thoughts for as long as she spoke. The key was in the melody of her voice rather than the words, and this was the greatest advantage of the spell. She could cast another, more difficult spell with no interruptions so long as she cast this one first.

The spell had only one drawback: the enemy had to have all their senses in use in order for the spell to work. They couldn't be blind or deaf…or even lack in their sense of smell or the spell would fail on them…in Kotaro's case, his eyes were shut tightly and couldn't see anything, even though the rest of his senses were amplified a thousand fold.

Kotaro recognized the next spell immediately and couldn't help but smile at the prospect. He was about to get a lot more deadly.

When the spell was cast, the enemy regained their senses and Nodoka's comrades quickly inspected to see what she had done. Negi couldn't help but smile when he realized which spell she had chosen.

"How appropriate," he commented as he blasted through a hundred of the enemies at once, "You've doubled our speed."

--

"It's bad…" Konoka stated as she measured the damage done to Kotaro's eye, "You should have let me heal it when it happened."

"If I had we'd all be dead right now," he replied.

The battle hadn't lasted long. After Nodoka cast her spell, the enemy ranks quickly dwindled and a large portion of the enemy force began retreating. Kotaro and Setsuna had chased down the fleeing enemies and quickly dispatched of them while the others eliminated the immediate threat. Now there was nothing remaining of the battlefield other than the slain corpses of their enemies and the large craters left from Negi's and Konoka's spells.

Negi walked over to Yue and sat down beside her.

"You realize that your card has been rendered invalid," he commented more than asked.

"I know, but I figure it was the safest route to go…I did a run on Chisame's artifact before I did a pactio with Kotaro and it turns out that she can connect to the web with it…but more-so, it's still connected to the time we came from, so she can technically surpass the time differential via the internet and get any information we need. While the artifact may take a bit more time to execute than mine, it's just as precise. I figured the alternative beat the inconvenience," Yue replied in her matter-of-factly tone.

"As thorough as ever…but how did you find out about the time differential?"

"While we were in the heat of battle, I withdrew and had her try it."

Negi smacked himself in the forehead, "Shoulda figured as much."

--

Asuna slowly walked away from the group and onto what used to be the battlefield. It had been mostly nighttime when the group was attacked, but strangely it all seemed too lit up…too bright. She could only assume that Negi or Konoka had cast a light spell on the area.

During the fight, it had almost seemed as if the place they were at was born of the anxiety they felt, but now it was peaceful…now that their attackers lay broken, the world seemed to offer them the tranquility they could only pray for.

There were bodies everywhere…fresh in blood, but none alive. In this world, if you left one enemy alive, you had four hundred more wanting you dead. Still, the enemies that lay lifeless seemed happy in a way: at peace. Asuna couldn't help but wonder if one day, when she lay there lifeless, would she too wear a smile of peace…freed from the chaos of this new world of theirs?

Asuna shook her head; it was madness to think thoughts like that. She had to make it home first…to return to her own time…if she even had a time.

A stray glance showed Asuna that Setsuna was making her way to her side. She turned back to her old mentor and gave her a half smile before facing the battlefield once more.

"As warriors, we forget the value of life that every human should know…" Setsuna stated unhappily, taking her place at Asuna's side, "And sometimes it makes me wonder if we deserve to return to our time."

"You shouldn't think that, Setsuna," Asuna responded in the same melancholy tone, "It's because we want to return to our time that we fight. If I had no intention of going home, I doubt I would have bothered."

Setsuna was quiet for a moment and Asuna took this as a chance to answer the question Setsuna had asked in her dream.

"I don't know if we have a time or not to go back to, Set-chan, but we don't have time to think about it. We've just got to go and do it. We might be able to stop us from going back into the past, or we might not…either way I only know one thing," Asuna looked Setsuna in the eyes and fought to hold back her tears, "I just want to go home."

Setsuna looked slightly shocked, but all she could do was take it in stride. She reached out and grabbed Asuna. For several moments the two hugged as Asuna could no longer hold back her tears; for several moments Setsuna wondered how Asuna knew what she had been concerned about since they started their journey.


	5. Chapter 5: Aftermath

The sky had started to grow darker as he walked through the wood. Normally, he would have paid no heed to this; he had traveled this path many times in the day and was confident he could navigate it during the night. But there was something strange about this darkness: it had an unnatural coldness to it…something similar to what he thought the clutches of death would feel. It caused a shiver to run up his spine.

Needless, his mission was much more important than his thoughts of the growing darkness; he was to deliver a message to the head of his clan. Quickly and silently he made his way along, following a path only he knew, making sure to avoid any open areas. He was a messenger…in these times more often than not, a messenger never made it to his destination. It was a time for war.

Though he had tried his best to avoid any clearings, it seemed his bearings had fallen astray and he slowed to a walk when he entered an all-to-familiar clearing. It was in this clearing that he had seen the advent of the war. At the time, it seemed a bloody battleground with the dead littered about, but now it seemed to flow with the serene darkness that permeated him. It felt dead.

He slowly made his way to a cliff that separated the field and the earth below. Standing on the edge of the cliff, he could sense the growing war…he could feel the agony to come for both sides, and he felt remorse for those that wouldn't live to see the end of it. It went against his better judgment to stand there in the open; he knew that there could be enemies nearby waiting for their chance to pounce, but he couldn't seem to tear himself away from the cliff side.

Here, on the edge of this cliff, there was wind…there was life. Slowly he lowered the hood of his black garment, showing his dark brown hair for the world to see. Here, he made his mistake. He felt the sword enter his spine and exit through the front of his ribcage. Part of him wanted to scream from the pain and another part wanted to turn to see his attacker. But more than any of them, there was a side that wanted to look forward.

He no longer cared who his killer was, all he knew was the darkness he had felt before was wrong. It was true that there was a coldness in death, but there was also a warmth…and he couldn't help but smile as he fell forward. He plummeted to the ground…and even the wisest men couldn't deny the wisdom that death had brought him. He was finally freed from the agony caused by his life and he no longer had to kill others for the sake of territory. As he fell faster and faster, he smiled, not because he was finally accepting his fate, but because he had been pushed from that valley of the dead, and was now speeding towards the life below.

If one had been beside him, falling to the forest below, they would have heard his final words, his final offerings of peace; a moment before his life was extinguished, he managed to whisper his final praise: "I can feel the wind…"

--

"I see…" the cloaked mage stated to himself more than anyone else, "So my son has met his end…"

"Tryval was a fine mage, sire, and an even finer man…I'm sorry for your loss…" a man covered in black consoled.

"It was...them…I suppose, wasn't it?"

"While the wound he had sustained would have eventually killed him…he died by another means."

The older mage glanced at the messenger curiously.

"He plummeted to his death, sire…"

The older mage stared intently at the scroll the messenger had given him, describing the details of his son's passing. It was obvious that the man was torn on the inside…torn between tears for his fallen son and praise for him. His son no longer had to kill: he was free.

The mage pulled the hood on his cloak back to reveal his features. He had long gray hair, as was common by many in his position, and had a long silky beard. His eyes shone with fresh tears, but even more than that, they shined with pride for his son.

"Surely," the elder mage stated in almost a whisper, "surely he is in a better place now…a place where he cannot be judged by his humanity…but by his actions."

The messenger looked at the man with slight admiration in his eyes…even throughout all the bloodshed, the clad elder, the man before him, held onto his beliefs and ideals…he held on to his hope for the future.

The elder looked at the messenger with fresh tears streaming down his cheeks, "I'm sure he's in a place where he can live peacefully…I have no doubt that heaven's gates will have opened for him."

The mage then placed his arm on the messenger's shoulder and looked him seriously in the eyes, "In this world…your life matters. No matter how this war ends, you must survive!" Here the man took his arm off the messenger's shoulder, "All of you must survive!"

The messenger then gave a deep bow to the mage and turned about. When he took his leave, he couldn't help but feel cold.

"This world…" the man looked to the darkened skies, "It feels like it's already been taken by death."

--

Negi slowly began his walk to Kotaro's side; it was night now, and the battle that had taken Kotaro's sight was now only a bad memory. Negi paused a few paces from Kotaro…he still wasn't sure what they were going to talk about…or if they would speak at all. Right now all he knew was that Kotaro had a lot on his mind…and so did he.

Negi looked to the night sky and the thousands of stars that littered it. Back in their own time, many of these stars would never have been seen. Now though, the sky was alight with stars. Negi couldn't help 

but feel a solemn embrace from the stars...before now, when he looked up to the night sky, all he could really do was name constellations and pick out the brightest stars. Sometimes he even tried to count them…that never ended very well. But as he stared into the sky, he couldn't point out a single star formation. Now as he looked at the night sky, he felt the embrace of the world itself.

"What's on your mind, Negi?" Kotaro asked, not even looking back.

The wind blew a cold gust over the two and Negi was forced back to the earth; he looked forward at Kotaro. He was sitting there with his arms draped across his knees…the position he always took when he was in deep thought. The wind forced both his clothes and Negi's cloak to flutter with the wind; had anyone been there to witness the scene, they would have stood in awe of the two. Kotaro slowly rose to his feet and turned to face Negi. The two shared an uncomfortable silence as they looked the other over.

Kotaro stood at the same height as Negi, and even had the same build, but when one would watch the two, their auras felt very different. While Negi's brought forth feelings of justice and truth, Kotaro's was filled with desire and strength. The two complimented each other perfectly.

But now when Negi looked Kotaro over, he didn't feel the powerful aura his rival held. Instead he felt something different…it was as if Kotaro had lost his desire to fight…but it was replaced by something else…a desire to understand.

Negi was forced to look Kotaro in the eyes…and couldn't help but feel a sting of pain as he looked into his right. Negi doubted Kotaro'd ever regain his sight in that eye…if he did, it would only be blurry images at best. It was obvious to Negi what Kotaro was feeling right now. Not only was he forced to use a pactio card with Yue, but he had been badly wounded. To Kotaro, a person whom strength meant everything to, being wounded as he was…was almost as bad as losing.

Negi walked over to Kotaro's side and sat down; Kotaro followed in unison. The two had spent half of their lives together and fought beside each other just as long…they knew each other well enough not to need words. But here, in Kotaro's time of need, Negi couldn't stay silent.

"You should let Konoka treat your wound…" the red-haired mage stated quietly.

"It's useless…I'm not going to get my vision back and you know it," the dog-demon replied bluntly.

"Konoka's powerful…you may be able to regain some of your vision…"

There was a moment of silence.

"I could have gotten us all killed…" Kotaro dared to say.

Negi looked at Kotaro with a surprised expression on his face.

"Had Yue not sacrificed her pactio with you…we may have not made it out of there…" the man finished.

Negi fought to find the words to tell him how he was wrong. After everything the group had gone through, Kotaro still blamed himself for everything wrong that had happened.

"You know better than that," Negi replied bluntly, "You…"

Negi didn't get a chance to finish his sentence. A figure that had appeared out of nowhere smacked Kotaro upside the head with their weapon.

Kotaro recovered quickly and jumped to his feet, only to turn his head and be face to face with Yue.

"You idiot!" she screamed, "You know better than that!"

Kotaro was stunned…both by Yue's overly emotional response to Kotaro's way of thinking and to her ability to sneak up on him.

"How do you think I feel, Kotaro?!" Yue screamed at him.

Tears started flowing from her eyes and she started pounding on his chest.

"How do you think it feels to know that the person you care about the most needed you…and all you could do for them when they were horribly injured was give them minor support?! How do you think it felt to watch that happen to you…to know that you're permanently blinded in one of your eyes and I was right beside you fighting? …To know that had I swung my weapon in just a slightly bigger arch…it wouldn't have happened?"

Kotaro was flummoxed. He wasn't overly concerned about his well-being…his eye may not have been replaceable, but he could still fight without it. The only things he was worried about…that he was so distraught over…were the fact that he let himself get injured and was a burden. He had no idea that his getting injured had hurt Yue so badly.

"Yue…it's all right…" Kotaro consoled in a quiet voice.

The girl continued to sob in his arms.

"It's all right my love…"

Negi had gone; the only two left standing in the field were Kotaro and Yue. The young woman continued sobbing in her lover's arms…and he continued to hold her tightly. It was beyond a doubt obvious to Kotaro now…his failure to detect the blow that left him blind wasn't such a big deal anymore…what mattered was that he protected everyone around him…his companions…his rival…and Yue: his love.

Negi awoke early the next morning and made his way to the center of the camp. With a few whispered words, the firewood they had set up last night lit back up, anew, and the food they had gathered was set up to roast. Negi looked around the camp: it was small, and the make-shift adirondacks were all occupied. Nodoka slept silently beside where Negi had been and the others seemed to be sleeping as 

soundly. It had been a long time since they had the opportunity to sleep so well, but then, they knew now that they were in neutral territory.

Even so, there had been a night watch set up, though the previous night had been limited to one person. The one person they all knew would be able to detect any presence. The next thing Negi knew, Kotaro stood up from beside his and Yue's adirondack and walked over to assist him in preparing breakfast.

"I trust your night was well," Negi asked Kotaro.

"It was…I managed to catch some rabbits that were wandering near the camp, so dinner for tonight has already been caught," Kotaro replied.

Negi looked back at the fire and glanced over to Kotaro every so often. He seemed to have changed greatly from the night before and, while Negi had his suspicions as to why, he couldn't help but wonder how 'good' his night really was. After all, his and Yue's hair were both rather messy. Negi just smirked.

"What was that for?" Kotaro was quick to ask.

"Nothing!" Negi replied.

Kotaro looked back at Negi slightly confused and then turned his head to Yue. He noticed her hair was slightly messed up from the previous night and reached his hand up to pat his down. That's when it hit him. He turned his head back to Negi abruptly and looked directly in his eyes. He knew!

Negi couldn't help but stare at Kotaro as his face went from a tanned white to a beet red. He lifted his finger to Kotaro, trying to keep his composure…but failed miserably. He burst out laughing and an overly embarrassed Kotaro hit him upside the head.

"It's not what you're thinking!" he practically yelled.

"Oh yes it is!" Negi replied, trying to stop laughing and holding his head from the headache Kotaro had caused.

"No it's not…I…I…" Kotaro blushed even worse.

All the commotion brought Yue from her wonderful dreams back to reality. As she rose from her bed and reached for her shirt, she heard Negi yell out, "It's all right; I've done it too! It's nothing to be embarrassed over!" And she was forced to look over to the two to see what all the commotion was about. What she saw was a Kotaro that was an unnatural shade of red and Negi that was laughing at him.

Negi saw Yue rise and, in his hilarious stupor, he pointed at her and yelled out, "Hey, nice hair! It's as bad as Kotaro's!" Yue looked over to Kotaro, who was still blushing furiously and realized what Negi was talking about. She too turned a shade of bright red…but unlike Kotaro, she wasn't one to just take the embarrassment…a well aimed staff and…bam!

Negi woke up an hour later.

"You know, it's nothing to be embarrassed about…" Negi consoled to his best friend and rival.

"Embarrassed about it or not, my face'll still turn red," he replied, his cheeks turning slightly pink.

He was now sitting beside Yue and Negi was sitting beside Nodoka, who had woken up only a few minutes after he regained consciousness.

"I was only laughing because of how red your face was…"

"Yes well, you were mentioning something about my hair?" Yue replied, a little irritated.

Negi looked over at Yue with a bit of curiosity.

"Guess you didn't want me to mention yours, huh?" she replied a little devilishly, "And Nodoka, why is yours all ruffed?"

Negi and Nodoka both turned red…and Kotaro and Yue both burst out laughing.

"It's nothing to be embarrassed about!" Kotaro jested back at Negi.

Negi and Nodoka just turned their heads to face each other and smiled.

"What's with all this racket?" Setsuna asked, walking to join the group.

"My, my, your hair's looking rather ruffed up too," Chamo responded from Negi's shoulder.

"When did you wake up Chamo?" Negi asked.

"Just a few minutes ago…enough to hear you four talking about this messing each other's hair up issue…" the ermine replied pervertedly, "So…nice hair Setsuna-ne-chan!"

The ermine was immediately knocked from Negi's shoulder with a rock.

"Why my hair's messed up doesn't matter…" she began to say, but was quickly interrupted by Konoka.

"Set-chan, your hair's still a mess!" she yelled, knocking her back with her body weight, "I guess I ruffed it up too much last night, huh?"

Setsuna got a slightly horrified look on her face when she saw all the perverted looks she was getting from her comrades.

"It's…It's not what you think…" she began to say, but she looked down to Konoka and noticed that she was only wearing her underwear and a short shirt and turned a bright red again.

"Give up…" Asuna stated, taking her place at the fire, her hair unnaturally well placed on her head, "I think the evidence just smacked you in the face."

Setsuna just bowed her head and turned her gaze to Konoka who abruptly kissed her. Just as she was about to protest, Chamo ran up to her and formed a circle.

"Pactio!" was all the group could hear before they were blinded by a brilliant light.

Konoka broke away from the kiss and buried her face in Setsuna's chest squealing, "Set-chan!"

"Why do you keep doing those pactios every time one of us kisses another?" Negi asked Chamo.

"Because when we get back…I'm going to make a fortune off of them!" the ermine yelled with dollar signs in his eyes.

"The worse part of it all…" Setsuna replied still overly red in the face, "Was that Konoka and I actually didn't do anything last night! We just slept in the same bed was all! She got a little tipsy off of some of the wine we packed in our supplies and passed out in my bed."

The group looked at her with more than a little suspicion in their eyes and burst out laughing.

"It's alright, Setsuna," Asuna responded, trying to catch her breath, "We don't care…it's about time you two got together!"

"But we didn't…" Setsuna began…but she gave up when they all started laughing again, "Never mind…come on Konoka…let's get you dressed…"


	6. Chapter 6: Allies and Enemies

"It' been overly quite for the past few days…" the elder mage, Fleaux, dared to declare, "I can only hope it stays this way."

The elder mage knew better than this though, and his self-declaration of the obvious was more of a warning…a means to keep his mind informed that they were still at war with the Bird Tribe.

It had been nearly two weeks since the murder of his eldest son, Tryval, and yet it seemed as though each passing day was an eternity in its own. Yet to be known to him was the purpose of Tryval's return. In such dangerous times, traveling alone meant that one was searching for silence; hoping to steal away to another town without giving away that it was happening. To Fleaux, this meant only one thing: his son was delivering a message…one that he never got.

He wished he could mourn his son's passing…but the times as they were, and dangerous as they were, he had no time. There were many things that his clan had to do before anyone could truly mourn their losses. One of these said things was the continual protection of the village…one that he feared could easily be torn askew. There were too many trade issues…too many travelers that easily passed through the village, and any one of them could be under a glamour.

The village samurai were to be left to handle traveling merchants though; his focus was more on the here and now of it all…to the larger picture. He would have to leave the protection of the village to its own people.

Fleaux sat back in his chair and stared out the window. It was at times like these that he wished he could see the future. Still he sat there and stared out his window…upon the village that he was charged with governing. He couldn't help but feel that something was coming.

--

"Why does it have to be me?" Kotaro whined as he donned his black cloak.

"Because last time it was just about everyone but you!" Yue scolded.

Kotaro's ears lowered themselves in the same way a scolded puppy's would.

"Oh, Kotaro…" Yue whispered in the overall cuteness of his response.

She stood on her toes and gave him a quick kiss before she began to make her way back to camp.

"Oh and, Kotaro!" she yelled back at him.

"What is it?" he dared to reply.

"Hide your ears and tail!"

Kotaro just about smacked himself in the face. Slowly his ears lowered and hid in his hair, and his tail stayed tucked in his pants.

"You know…" Kotaro stated to himself more than his traveling partner, "I can't help but feel that I got tricked into doing this…"

Negi started laughing and looked Kotaro directly in the eyes.

"You and me both…" he finished.

After a day's travel, the two arrived at their destination: Taminari Villa, home of the Taminari Wizard Clan. The place was known for it's affiliation with the other wizard clans as a center of trade. It really wasn't that strange to see wizards of all different creeds shopping at the same markets…there were even some different species among them.

"Hey Negi, this is a time of war, right?" Kotaro whispered, trying not to look suspicious.

"Yeah…I know what you mean. I guess they're from neutral clans…I really don't recall anyone but human's being at odds with the Bird Tribe," Negi replied as nonchalantly.

Though the two were impressed with the size and diversity of the village, they had a task to accomplish. All they really needed to know was the barter of trade and what sorts of good the merchants provided.

"Hey Negi, over here!" Kotaro called out.

The wizard was quick to respond. He made his way from a market selling some of the newest innovations in magic to the food stands.

"Kinda…knew you'd find your way over here somehow…" Negi muttered to himself.

"What was that?" Kotaro responded with a twitch.

"Nothing. Anyway, what is it?"

Kotaro started pointing out a few of the foods when the merchant walked up to him and released a gasp. Kotaro quickly shot his gaze to the older man's face…and returned his vision to the foods on the stand.

"Pardon me sir, but what do you accept as trade for your goods?" Negi asked, trying to grab the merchant's attention.

"…Tryval…?" the merchant dared to ask as he tried to get Kotaro's attention, "Tryval! You're alive!"

There was a quick murmur that spread throughout the crowd and all business seemed to stop. Kotaro quickly stood up and pulled his cloak down to reveal his head.

"Negi…?" Kotaro asked.

"Yeah?" he responded.

"I've got a really…really bad feeling about this…"

--

In only a moments time, the word of Tryval's return had spread across town and finally made it to the elder's home.

"Alive?!" the elder nearly screamed, both in joy and in uncertainty.

"Yes sir!" the familiar masked man in black replied, "But…"

"He's alive!" the elder interrupted, almost sobbing.

"Sir…"

"Find him and bring him home!"

"Sir, there's just one problem…"

The elder turned about and faced the town, where an apparent crowd was forming.

"Can it wait until after he's home?"

"No, sir."

"Fine, then out with it."

"Tryval's dead, sir."

The elder flinched. He had already been informed of this, but he had hoped the report was false…especially with the word that he'd just returned.

"Then who is out there claiming to be Tryval? You think it's some glamour that has made its way past our barrier?"

"I don't know what it is sir, but Tryval is dead. I'm the one who found him and I was there when we burned his body. That man out in the crowd is not your son."

The elder paused for a moment; he had truly wanted it to be his son. "Bring him to me."

--

"Tryval, what happened to your eye?"

"Where have you been?"

"Who's your friend?"

"Where've you been?"

The questions coming from the crowd were unrelenting…there were too many to even begin to start answering, much less inform them of their error. Each time Kotaro opened his mouth, he was bombarded with more questions until it became apparent that they had to retreat. Whoever this 'Tryval' was, Kotaro and he were obviously doppelgangers.

"I think we've outstayed our welcome…" Kotaro shot to Negi as he was forced to back up.

The two heard some shouts from the middle of the crowd. Shouts they had definitely heard before.

"Make way," the voices called, "We are to apprehend Tryval and his accomplice!"

Negi gave a quick glance to Kotaro, and the two leapt out of the crowd and to the rooftops.

"What the…stop them!" the guards called out to the sentries placed about the village.

In the blink of an eye, several guards made their way to the rooftops and were in quick pursuit of the two.

"This is the last time…" Kotaro huffed while dashing about the rooftops, "That I ever let myself get coerced into this!"

Negi couldn't help but smile at the thought.

"Kotaro, you know as well as I do that you couldn't hold to that if you wanted," Negi smiled at Kotaro, "One word from Yue and you'd be here beside me again."

--

"Sir, they've taken to the rooftops! Our guards are in pursuit of them now!" the masked man formally stated as he saluted the elder.

"Good, now call the majority of them off…" the elder commanded, "It may be an enemy ploy, and if it is, we need to focus on our border's defense, not just the inside."

"Sir!"

"I'll deal with these two personally…"

--

Negi and Kotaro stopped suddenly, both of them had been fleeing for several minutes, and they noticed that they were no longer being followed.

"What was that all about?" Kotaro questioned.

"I don't have a clue…" Negi replied.

"I think we're going to have to find our supplies elsewhere…"

"I couldn't agree more…"

The two were about to drop to the streets and make a hasty retreat from the shadows but were stopped cold. A powerful shiver ran up their spines and the two turned to face an older man…obviously the most powerful in the village.

"Tryval…" the old man began.

"I'm not whoever you guys think I am!" Kotaro argued with the man, "I didn't do anything wrong. Just let us leave and we'll be on our way."

The old man glared at Kotaro…forcing him to take a step back.

"You wear the face of my son," the old man spoke, "who died two weeks ago."

Negi and Kotaro were hit with an understanding. All these villagers thought that Kotaro was the son of this man…and they all knew that he was dead.

"This is all a misunderstanding…" Negi began, but was quickly interrupted.

"You meant to kill him and steal his face! But instead of falling into your clutches, he fell off a cliff side and was lost to you. Still you dare try to invade our village wearing his face?!"

Kotaro began to argue but was stopped prematurely.

"You can't hide it from me boy. I can sense the demonic blood flowing through your veins."

Kotaro flinched. If he didn't say something fast, he might not make it out of here alive. Instead, his voice of reason came from his companion.

"Sir, I assure you that Kotaro and I had no intention to raid your village, and we are alone here. You will find no invading force marching towards your villa. And Kotaro is worthy of trust," Negi stated.

"And who are you for me to believe? You're human, but that doesn't mean that you aren't in with the Bird Tribe."

"Just let us be on our way. You can escort us to the exit if you'd like, we won't put up a fight, and we will be gone forever."

The leader looked deeply into Negi's eyes and smirked, "No, I have a better idea…you will follow me to my home…and there you can explain yourselves…more…in depth."

Negi and Kotaro really didn't like the way he spoke or the hint of anxiety behind his words…but the two hoped that it was only in their heads that they felt this. Slowly, but steadily, the two followed the elder to his home in the center of town. This would either be the best thing they could do, or the dumbest.

--

"It's been a few days since he left…I'm kinda lonely without him," Nodoka sighed.

"I know how you feel, but at least look on the bright side," Yue consoled, "At least we still have Haruna."

Yue smiled at Nodoka's response to her jest. She hadn't seen that kind of sour look since she accidently gave Nodoka a sour drop instead of a cough drop years before.

"I guess we've kind of grown apart over the years…haven't we?" Yue asked.

"From Haruna, you mean?" Nodoka asked.

"Yeah…"

"We couldn't really look back and mourn our loss for her. It's not like she died…at least not that we knew."

"But then she pops up out of nowhere…the same as she used to be…and we've changed so much…"

Yue looked down at the ground. It was true that she had changed. Nodoka had changed, Negi had…Asuna…and Kotaro…they'd all been forced to change and adapt to their surroundings. It was the only way to survive…but this was more than just survival. They'd grown up.

"What sort of world will we see when we get back home, Yue?" Nodoka asked.

"I don't know, Nodoka…I really don't know."

Chisame stood in the shadows, listening to Nodoka and Yue's conversation. She couldn't help but wonder the possibilities, and scorn the fact that she'd been forced out of her reality into a world of magic…with no way home except through time. She took out her artifact card and couldn't help but smile at the irony. Her only connection to home…to the normal world she lived in…was through a magic card.

Yue looked over to the place where Haruna was sleeping.

"Seems she can't wake up early without an alarm clock…" she muttered.

"You and I were the same way in the beginning…" Nodoka commented.

"I know…but I hope that she doesn't have to spend the next ten years like this. I really hope we can get home soon…"

Nodoka smiled a wrapped an arm around her friend, "I wonder what everyone back home will say when they see us?" she asked, to get Yue's thoughts on a more positive note.

Yue smiled and looked forward, "I bet their mouths will drop."

--

Kotaro and Negi couldn't help but feel at ease in the council room. When Fleaux first led them there, they had expected the worst, but after explaining their situation…the parts they could actually explain…he seemed more than happy to have them around. After a quick inspection of their borders, that is.

"How long will you be in our village?" Fleaux asked.

"Not very long, sir. We travel with seven others…and an ermine…" Negi replied.

"I see…you should return after meeting with them again. You are a welcome sight in our village, and I apologize for the way you were treated earlier. I assure you that no harm will have come to you had you cooperated…but giving your…extreme…circumstance I don't blame you for running, having been rejected from so many other villages because you're biracial and all."

"I thank you for your offer sir, but we don't have the means to pay for a place to sleep…we came today to check your methods of barter. We're running low on medical supplies," Kotaro added.

Fleaux couldn't help but give Kotaro an uneasy glace; Kotaro just took it in stride.

"I'm sure we can work something out…" the old man replied, stroking his beard.

Negi couldn't help but smile. The way Fleaux stroked his beard reminded him of how Konoka's grandfather did when he was planning something devious.

"But please, when you've rendezvoused with your companions, come back to our village. More than anything, we would welcome your biracials. You are a sign of the possible peace among our tribes."

Negi felt a glimmer of hope, but was forced to inform the elder of their other biracial.

"There is something you must know about our…other, Setsuna."

"What is it?"

"She's half human, half bird."

The elder stopped stroking his beard. He was more than shocked…a human and one from the bird tribe had mated? In these times?

"It should be fine. Just make sure she hides it well."

"Then you can expect to see us again," Negi replied, bowing as he stood.

Kotaro followed Negi's example and the two headed for the door.

"One more thing, Kotaro, was it?" the elder interrupted.

"Yes, elder-san?" Kotaro asked.

"Try to avoid wearing that black cloak among the people…that was Tryval's trademark. It would only attract more attention."

Kotaro smiled, turned and bowed once more before taking his leave. When the two had left, the elder was forced to peer into the skies.

"One day…" the elder whispered to himself, "Will we coexist to a point where people such as this Setsuna and Kotaro can live freely without hiding?"

--

Kotaro and Negi dashed through the trees. They needed to return to camp before the next of their group left for a nearby town. The wilds were dangerous in these times, even in neutral territory, and if they could take shelter in a village, they wouldn't have to worry so much about protecting their backs. If they could avoid bloodshed, they had to take the chance.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Author Notes: (Yes, even I leave Author Notes, I've just been putting them in my bio instead of on these...probably not the smartest idea...)

I apologize if this chapter confuses anyone...I've been up quite a while and I'm not too sure if it's been reflected in my writing. Needless to say, this chapter didn't turn out EXACTLY the way I wanted it to. But I've gotten a little further along, and I'm finally leading to some of the more interesting parts of my story. I got a review asking about Tryval, and so you know...the little intro I put in there where the young man was impaled from behind was both Tryval's first entrace and his final. Anyway, I hope you've enjoyed the story thus-far, and I hope you will continue to read it. I promise you that I will follow this story through until they return home...and even farther!

And so you guys know, I update about once a week now...and you know...the more reviews I have, the faster the next chapter comes out! I'm actually not kidding. If I don't get any reviews for the story...it kinda dampens my hopes and I don't get in the mood to write...but if I get FOUR (big number for me...I've never had fans before) it will probably come up on my next day off...like this one. I got four reviews in two days! I am exstatic! Anyway, now that I'm done rambling...I appreciate all of you that read this! If it weren't for you, this would still be just another thought in my head!

Fenix

P.S. If you want to know about anything that may have confused you...you can message me about it...and you might outta check my profile once in a while, I have updates on it. Also...I can't help the little square boxes that appear randomly throughout the story. They happen when I get a page-break in Microsoft Word.


	7. Chapter 7: Chasing Down Tomorrow

Setsuna and Konoka began making minor preparations for their trip to a neighboring town; while Negi and Kotaro had only been gone a few days, the group had to be in a constant flux: when two were gone, another two set off the day the first was scheduled to return. Unfortunately, the two were running behind schedule; there was a certain ermine that needed a beating for sleeping in Konoka's underwear.

As the two finished packing their things, they quickly said their farewells and came up with the allotted time for their return.

"Judging by the distance, it should only take us three days, round trip," Setsuna pointed out, "If we're not back by then, contact us via telepathy."

"Alright, take care out there, the road's dangerous," Yue affirmed, "If you don't think that they'll lend any supplies, don't wait for nightfall to take them, Negi and Kotaro may have had better luck. We'll contact you if the plan changes."

Setsuna and Konoka were led to the edge of the campsite by Yue, Nodoka, Haruna, and Chamo; Setsuna couldn't help by eye Chisame curiously as they passed her, sitting on a log, fiddling with her cell phone. Setsuna mentally shook her head; the girl just couldn't live without her electronics.

Konoka and Setsuna had begun their journey to the next town when Chamo made a joke that Setsuna just couldn't ignore: "Now try not to enjoy yourselves too much!"

The ermine quickly found himself on the defensive against a half bird, half human, half red-beet Shenmei School warrior that was kicking him around like a soccer ball. It wasn't long before the group realized that most of the medical supplies they had gotten lately were being used on the ermine.

After several minutes of furious kicking and a few chunked rocks later, the group was once again bidding their farewells, but as Konoka and Setsuna made their way out of the campsite, they heard the voices of Negi and Kotaro ushering them to stop. The two paused and turned around, only to see the entire group waving their hands, ushering them to return.

"So you say the elder wants us all to come?" Setsuna heard Nodoka ask the two when she arrived back at the camp site.

"Yes, but there is one condition…" Negi stated as he looked at Setsuna, "You have to hide your wings. We've told the elder about both you and Kotaro, and he's more than happy to welcome us, but because you're part bird, you're going to have to hide your wings."

Setsuna shrugged and quickly complied.

"I'm not too happy to do this, you know…" she replied as her wings vanished, "But if there's a haven for us all, then we've got to take it."

Negi smiled at Setsuna; she'd finally come to terms with her heritage and not only had she accepted it, but she wholeheartedly showed it. She was no longer afraid of what anyone thought of her.

"It's only a day and a half's trip away from here at full speed, but being that we've got Chisame and Haruna with us it'll probably take the full two."

"It's fine, I can just draw something that'll fly us there," Haruna stated nonchalantly as she called forth her artifact.

"Not this time Haruna," Negi was quick to intervene, "Knowing you, it'll be something big and flashy, and right now we need stealth. We're taking it on foot."

Haruna got a sickly look in her eyes and Chisame wasn't much better. The two had never even camped before, much less hiked for two days over hills and through forests. This was turning into a hell for them.

The group gathered their things quickly, and soon all that was left standing were the makeshift adirondacks. Negi and Yue quickly set fire to them, and the group was on their way.

"Why did you guys burn those?" Haruna was quick to ask.

"Leave no trace. If an enemy comes and sees that there was a settlement there, they might come looking for us, but if it's been burned: one, they can't use it themselves and two, they may think that another of theirs had already been there and eliminated the occupants," Kotaro replied.

Haruna looked down at the ground for a few moments; the realization had finally really hit her: there were people out there that wanted to kill them.

"So, Negi, how long till we get to use that time watch again and get home?" she beckoned, hoping to change the subject.

There was an unusual quiet for a moment, and Negi finally answered, "About six months."

At these words, only Kotaro was unaffected, but Haruna and Chisame stopped cold.

"What do you mean six months?!" Chisame nearly screamed.

In almost and instant, Kotaro was on her with his hand covering her mouth.

"Quiet," he whispered.

His hand was forcefully removed and Chisame started laying into him.

"Don't you ever cover my mouth again you mutt!" Chisame yelled in her pit of rage.

Again, Kotaro's hand clasped over her mouth, but this time, there was a rustling that followed her silence.

"Damn!" Kotaro yelled in response to the noise, "Haruna, draw something pretty!"

The group bolted forward, Kotaro carrying both Chisame and Haruna over his shoulders.

Chisame was red in the face from anger, but looking back, her protests turned quickly from anger, to fear. She was now screaming at him to move faster. The beasts that were chasing the group were huge, one covered from head to toe with leaves, looking like it was born from the forest itself, and one that had huge leafy wings and a beak. Its entire body looked like it was made from the wood of trees, but it bent and flexed as well as skin…it looked as if it were a tree turned dragon.

"What the hell are those?!" the flustered girl couldn't help but scream.

"Hyrens!" the dog-demon quickly replied, "There's no use fighting them, their manifestations of the forest itself. When magical forests feel they have dangerous intruders, the release a part of themselves. That is what a Hyren is. It's pointless to kill them…they just re-manifest."

"How in the world are we supposed to beat that?!"

"We don't. We get through the forest; they can't leave it."

"In the mean-time," Haruna commented, having finished her drawings, "We give them something to play with! Flying swordsmen numbers one and two!"

With a flash of light, two massive swordsmen erupted from her drawing pad and stood to take on the two Hyrens. Compared to the Hyren, the swordsmen looked like midgets. The one with wings towered at least ten feet over their heads, and the other wasn't much shorter than the first. Haruna was correct though, the beasts had to pause for a few seconds to destroy the golems…but it was long enough for them to lose sight of the group.

"They're gone…" Chisame whispered.

"Don't get your hopes up," Kotaro corrected, "They can't see us but they know exactly where we're at. Remember that the Hyrens aren't just beasts, they're the forest itself."

"So that means…" Haruna began, but was quickly cut off when Kotaro jolted to the left to avoid an incoming attack. Chisame's face made a horrified expression when she saw a three foot long claw lift up from where they had been only a moment before.

With one fell swoop, it looked as though the beast would eliminate the three, but as quickly as it appeared, the beast was gone, and the entire group stood only feet outside the forest gasping for air.

"I think we made it in record time!" Asuna commented.

"Yeah, I'm beat," Chamo added without the slightest hint of exhaustion in his voice.

Asuna gave him a dry look and he quickly took shelter in Negi's cloak. Negi glanced back into his hood to see a shivering ermine and couldn't help but let out a laugh.

"You two've trained him quite well!" Negi smiled as he exchanged glances with Setsuna and Asuna.

The entire group shared in the laugh then…that is, everybody but Chamo and Chisame, who was looking at the forest like it was Satan itself.

"You did that to me on purpose…" she commented to the forest. Within the next second there was a shrill piercing cry that obviously came from the larger of the two Hyrens. Chisame jumped back and fell to the ground in shock.

"Yes, definitely on purpose…"

The rest of the trip went smoothly enough. The majority of it was spent reminiscing with Haruna, but Chisame didn't seem too keen to join in on the conversation. It was really obvious that she didn't want to be there.

"You could always use that artifact of yours, you know," Kotaro offered, "I'll carry your body if you want to use it."

"And have 'you' carry me? No thanks…" she was quick to reply.

"You offer to carry her and not me?" a familiar voice commented with a false sense of sadness.

"Yue, she's just doesn't seem to keen to be here right now, I thought that maybe…"

Yue turned away from Kotaro and was silent for a few moments, and didn't respond to Kotaro's calls of her name.

"Would you like for me to carry you?" Kotaro finally asked.

Yue spent the rest of the trip on Kotaro's back.

They arrived at the entrance to the town only a few hours later; an entire day ahead of schedule. Kotaro set Yue down and Negi set Nodoka down. He had been the unfortunate recipient of Yue's technique, copied and improved by Nodoka. Setsuna had offered to carry Konoka as well, but she said that it was fine and she could make the trip on her own. Setsuna sulked for several minutes after that.

It was verging on dusk when they reached the gate and the group was quickly stopped by the border guard.

"It's rather late to be traveling without a caravan," the guard muttered to them, "What is your business here?"

"We've come to request asylum, might we speak to your eldest, he is expecting us," Negi replied with a bow.

"I'm afraid not, no one is to enter the gates at night, per the instructions of our governor."

"We must speak to him," Kotaro piped up, taking his place a pace away from Negi.

"Tryval?!" the guard stammered, "Yes of course! This way!"

The guard abandoned his post to lead the group inside the town, leaving the other three guards standing at the gate.

"I hate having to do it like this…" Kotaro whispered to Negi.

"I agree, but it was well played on your part. This way not only did we get inside, but we're being led to the elder's home as well."

Within a few minutes, the group was standing outside the elder's home and being ushered inside. Once there, the guard took his leave and returned to the gate.

"What was that about?" Nodoka was forced to ask.

"Apparently…" Kotaro began, apparently ashamed of his tactics, "I look just like the elder's son…who passed away around two weeks ago."

Yue looked at Kotaro in bewilderment and then quickly turned to gaze to the ground with a melancholy expression.

"Everybody's lost so much…" Yue began, but Kotaro quickly wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.

"You're right, we've all lost so much…" he agreed, pulling back for a moment and touching his forehead to hers, "But at the same time…I've gained something I wouldn't give up for the world."

Yue smiled and tear brimmed in her eyes. She pulled onto Kotaro and held him tight until the group was greeted by a woman in dark garb.

"The master will see you now…" she formally stated, bowing low.

She ushered the group up the stairs until they reached a set of large wooden doors with brass handles. The group walked inside the room to see an old man resembling Konoka's grandfather stroking his beard.

"I'm glad to see you've made it back safely!" the elder greeted enthusiastically.

"We thank you for your hospitality, sir," Nodoka, Yue, and Konoka replied in unison while bowing.

"Oh my, such lovely young ladies, and so formal! I can tell you've been practicing that, but it wasn't for meeting me, was it?"

The group briefly remembered their time at the academy and smiled, "No, we were at an institution once where bowing was required," Konoka answered sweetly.

"Ah, I see your group is well stocked, gentlemen. One…two…three…four wizards? Four warriors? But she just doesn't look like she belongs…" the elder commented while looking the group over. It was obvious that he had been talking about Chisame.

"She's our central intelligence operative," Negi replied with a smile.

"Oh?" the elder replied, "And a well informed young lady she looks as well."

The elder glanced around the room at the group once more, taking in every detail that he could.

"Oh, there's the other…" he commented looking at the ermine that had just crawled out from Negi's hood, "But if I recall correctly, didn't you say you only had two biracials?"

Negi and the others glanced at each other quickly and then back to the elder.

"We do only have two biracials," Setsuna responded, "Kotaro and myself."

The elder looked Setsuna in her eyes, "Hopefully," he began standing and taking his place in front of her, "one day there will be a place where people like you and the other two in your group can walk around freely and not hide yourselves. I'm ashamed that you cannot do that here. I apologize."

Setsuna simply bowed, but the thought had coursed through her mind twice now: 'Other Two?'

The elder walked up to Yue and stood in front of her for a moment.

"You're a biracial from the dog tribe?" the elder asked.

"Wha…no! I'm entirely human!" she responded quickly, but the elder noticed an uneasy glance from Kotaro.

He looked at Kotaro and then back to Yue, "I sense a presence similar to Kotaro in you…" the elder commented, studying her, "Wait. He isn't…perhaps…your lover is he?"

Yue went bright red.

"I'll take that as a yes…" the elder confirmed. "If you're entirely human as you say you are, then I'm afraid that only means on other thing."

Yue stared at him waiting for the answer.

"You're pregnant."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Author Notes:

Ha! My first cliffhanger! It feels good, cause I've actually got the rest of this part written down, but you don't get to see it until tomorrow night! MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! Yeah…so you only have to wait a day, big deal…could be worse, right?


	8. Chapter 8: Introductions

"Kotaro, I thought you said you pulled…" Yue started screaming at Kotaro, beet red in the face.

"I did, I swear!" he replied, the same color as Yue.

"I…I…" Yue began, but she fell to her knees and Kotaro quickly scooped her up.

"I don't know if I'm ready for something like this Kotaro…" she sobbed into his shoulder.

"It's not a definite Yue…" Kotaro consoled.

"Oh, yes it is," the elder responded, stroking his beard.

"You're not helping!" Kotaro yelled back.

"You're more than welcome to make your home here," the elder affirmed, "And I would be honored if you all would stay as my personal guests."

The group agreed, and they were each given their personal rooms, save the couples who were to share.

"Well, I guess with that, I'll be seeing you in the morning," the elder smiled.

The group was led down the stairs by the familiar maid and to their rooms. For several minutes, Kotaro and Yue sat on the bed in each other's care, wondering what they would do next. Yue was confused…she was happy to be having Kotaro's child…but at the same time, this wasn't the right place for it…and with the World Tree in bloom in the next six months, she wasn't sure she wanted to make the jump while expecting. She just didn't know what to do…but what she did know is that part of it felt right…and she couldn't picture it being with anyone except Kotaro.

The next morning came much faster than the group had expected, but this hadn't stopped them from being early to rise, and the majority of them were already up and moving when the maid came to their rooms to wake them.

"Such a lively bunch you are!" the maid commented with a smile, "By the way, since you will be staying with us for a while, my name is Oyu Sarutawa. If you ever need anything, feel free to ask."

The maid quickly gathered the group together and walked them into the center hallway.

"The master has told me that you nine and your ermine are free to stay here for as long as you request asylum…" the maid announced happily, "However, I have been requested to inform you to remain in the front part of the house until the master is securely comfortable with your presence. "

The group looked around at each other to see the others' expressions…many were wearing the same. Not one of them had fully expected to be given complete trust, but Kotaro and Negi had only expected to be allowed to take up residence…they had no idea that they were going to be living in the governor's mansion.

"You are free to wander the main halls of the mansion and you are permitted to leave at any time," the maid continued, "However, if you are planning on wandering the streets of the city for any amount of time, the master requests that you take caution."

The maid looked directly at Setsuna and Kotaro this time, "The master may permit your presence, but not everyone in the city is bound to have the same thoughts. It will be dangerous for you to appear as anything but normal."

The two quickly nodded, and the rest of the group couldn't help but agree with the maid…they may be out of the dangers of the wild, but they were still surrounded by prejudice and oppressions for any non-humans.

"Now, if you will all follow me, the master has requested your presence in the main council chambers."

The group were swiftly ushered to the council-room's doors and led inside. Once they'd entered, the maid shut the doors behind them and they were left facing a group of three men. The one at the head of the table was the only familiar face among them: it was the elder, Fleaux.

The group walked over to the table and were requested to take their seats. There were exactly enough chairs for all of them…it was obvious that the elder had planned this meeting since they arrived.

"Are these them men and women you spoke of?" the man to the left of the elder asked.

"Indeed they are…" the man to the right of the elder responded, "And such power flows from them…"

The first man eyed the group cautiously, gauging them as either friend or foe.

"Which among you is the leader?" the first man asked.

The group looked at each other curiously, but Negi was the one who answered, "There is no leader among us."

"You misunderstand me, which of you is in charge?"

Negi sighed and decided to explain himself in more detail.

"For their to be a leader in a group," Negi began explaining to the man, "There has to be a need for one. A leader is one who takes charge of situations to lead to a favorable outcome. Among us, there is no need for it. We each work together as a group, each taking the necessary precautions to survive. If you want to look at it in your way of thinking…"

"We are all the leader," Kotaro finished for him. "We each take charge of specific areas. Early on in our travels, we encountered things that are unimaginable…been put in positions where we would have had to sacrifice…but because we all knew things like this would happen, we were prepared. We each took a specific trait and acted upon it. Yue is our tactical advisor; Konoka is our healer; Nodoka is our practical spellcaster and sentry; Asuna is our magic evasion specialist and practical defense against powerful magics; Setsuna is our airborne infantry specialist and lookout; Chisame is our information specialist; 

Haruna is our artillery backup; Negi is our heavy hitter and powerful magic specialist; and I'm our front line offense as well as seeker."

"Who are you people…?" the man to the right of the elder asked after a moment. Kotaro briefly studied the man. He wore a thin cloak the hid his overly frail body…Kotaro could only assume that he was a magic specialist for this town.

"We're just travelers," Asuna replied to the man, "Trying to get home."

The man to the elder's left walked forward, drawing his sword. He swung it at Negi as proficiently as any warrior, but instead of blocking with his staff or jumping out of the way, Negi blocked it with the back of his bare hand.

"With a magic barrier that powerful, I doubt that you are just travelers," the man stated, pulling his sword back, "This only proves it."

The man was about to put the sword back in its sheath when he heard a shattering sound and pieces of metal hit the floor. He looked down at what was left of his weapon: the hilt and about an inches worth of steel. He quickly turned his horrified gaze back to the man he had swung his weapon at.

"We are here at the request of your elder and the last time I checked, he didn't order you to draw your weapon to me," Negi marked with a deadly tone in his voice, "Next time, it won't be your blade."

The man looked to each member of the group; with the exception of Haruna and Chisame, they all wore similar expressions…expressions that told the man that his chosen opponent was telling the truth.

"I'm afraid he's correct," the elder spoke up, speaking directly to the horrified officer, "I did not order you to attack him, and doing so is unruly. If this happens again, I will see to it that the young man does repay your threat."

The elder looked at Negi directly, who was still wearing an unhappy expression, "I apologize for his actions, know that this is no direct threat from our city."

The elder stood and bowed low, and Negi couldn't help but change his mood.

"It's alright, elder-sama," the red-headed mage responded happily, but his expression changed a moment afterwards, showing that he was ready to get down to business.

"Right, I have requested you appear here today so I could introduce to you General Tobei, the man who so quickly could have earned the title of your enemy, and Prime Councilman Guiji."

The group stood and bowed to the men.

"My, have you all done that before? It looks rather practiced…" Guiji asked.

There was a sweatdrop hanging from everyone's head in the room, save the two officials.

"Ah, it is no matter," the man continued, oblivious to the others, "We have actually come to request your assistance."

Kotaro and Asuna quickly eyed the man…they knew what he was about to ask.

"We request your assistance against the incoming attack of the bird tribe. I know that you are travelers, and I know not where you come from, nor when you plan to leave, but I request…no, the entire council requests that you assist us."

"I'm afraid that it isn't really our pla…" Asuna began.

"Gladly," Negi, Kotaro, and Setsuna all replied at the same time.

Asuna's mouth dropped, "Wasn't it you who told us not to interfere…" she began.

"There's something that I've come to realize, Asuna," Negi replied, "I'll tell you about it when we're done in this meeting…Kotaro and Setsuna have come to the conclusion as well."

With a swift motion, Asuna wacked Negi across the head, knocking him to the ground, "This better be good!"

"Your sister?" the elder asked, laughing to himself.

"Something like that…" Negi replied, rubbing his head.

"Though I know not your reasons…" the councilmen noted, eyeing the group carefully, "We appreciate your assistance. We will come for you in one weeks time…we request that you introduce yourselves to our main force and meet with our generals. I'm sure there is much we can learn from you…and you from us."

The man bowed low and took his place beside the elder once more.

"Know that, even though you cooperate, I do not trust you," Tobei stated, giving the group a hard look, "The others may be quick to trust, but that has led to many deaths on the battlegrounds. I'm sure you understand."

The group nodded and began walking to the door.

"Kotaro! Yue!" the elder called out, "If you would please stay behind, I would like to have a word with the two of you. The rest of you please enjoy your time among us."

There were a few comments from the group: a few 'thank you's and one 'yeah, yeah'. When the group had left, he called the remaining two over to him and dismissed the councilman and general. Though the room had been full of anxiety and people a moment before, standing in front of the old gentleman couldn't help but put Kotaro and Yue at ease…he was a very easy man to trust.

"I would like to talk to you about your…predicament, Yue," the man commented gently, realizing the flood of emotions that had run over the young woman, "When I told you that you were pregnant, I wasn't entirely sure of myself, and I'm still not."

Yue looked at the man in surprise, "What do you mean?"

"Well, it's hard to explain…it feels like the part of Kotaro that I felt is a part of you, not so much new life. It feels like raw magical energy."

Yue looked at the man, still blatantly confused.

"Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that you aren't expecting…I'm just saying that you may not be. While I do admit that it's the exact same feeling I get from Kotaro, it still feels like something else. But, just in case, I would like to offer you a permanent residence here."

Yue and Kotaro just looked at the man blankly. They had no way to tell the man that they were travelling forward in time…trying to get home to a place that didn't even exist yet. Yue looked up to Kotaro for a moment, and he saw a bit of anxiety in her eyes…along with a hint of worry.

"Sir…I really don't…" Kotaro began but was interrupted when Yue grabbed his cheeks and pulled his face to hers, kissing him abruptly.

"This is…something that we need to do, Kotaro…we may want to get home…but if I'm pregnant…I don't want to chance anything happening to the child…" she whispered to him.

"We?" Kotaro asked, "I don't care where I am Yue, so long as it's with you…it's your decision. Whatever you choose, I will follow."

Yue looked back to the elder, blushing. "If it turns out…that I am pregnant, we would like to take you up on your offer," she affirmed quietly.

The elder gave her a huge smile.

"In that case…I would like to ask you to live with me…as heir to this clan."

Yue and Kotaro stood shocked…why did this man, who he had just met, want to leave his own clan in the hands of them?

"You look shocked…" the elder noted in an overly calm manner, "You shouldn't be so surprised!"

"How can we not be?" Kotaro nearly yelled, wide-eyed, "Why would you leave your clan to two complete strangers?"

The elders gaze seemed to leave the present…he stared down at Kotaro's feet for a moment and snapped back to reality.

"Because you're heart is in the right place. Tryval was my only living heir…the rest have died in this bloody war."

Kotaro's visage turned from shocked to sadden almost immediately.

"That right there proves my point," the elder commented, "But you want to know what the most interesting part of it all is?"

Kotaro looked at the man, trying to regain his previous expression.

"You remind me of my son…so much…it's like you two shared a personality…"

Yue brushed Kotaro's arm to get his attention and told him that the others were probably waiting for them.

"Right…" Kotaro replied, trying to hide his thoughts, "We should be going Elder-sama."

"Very well," the elder replied, walking them to the door, "My offer stands, Kotaro; Yue. You are a welcome sight in this household."

The two bowed to the elder and took their leave. Once they reached the stairs, they heard the elder call out to them one more time…this one made Kotaro freeze in his tracks.

"Oh, and my son's middle name was Kotaro."


	9. Chapter 9: What do you mean a litter?

When Kotaro and Yue met up with the group at the doors to the outside, they couldn't help but notice that Kotaro's face was pale and Yue's was red.

"I don't think I'll ask…" Asuna noted idly.

Haruna thought differently.

"So, did he tell you what gender the baby was?" she asked, causing Yue's face to get even worse.

"N-No!" Yue stammered, "It's nothing, alright, let's just go."

The rumor-monger felt as though she had gotten the truth out of Yue and didn't pursue it any further. She couldn't help but wonder what gender the child was though…she'd have to pursue it later. Kotaro and Yue, on the other hand, knew how wrong she was.

When they arrived at the center of one of the areas of trade in the town, the group quickly realized that they would have to split up; not because they were looking for anything in particular, but because of the sheer mass amount of people…it wasn't just necessary to split up…it was unavoidable.

"Negi, take my…" Nodoka began, but when she looked over to see Negi, he was nowhere to be found. It didn't take long though, all Nodoka had to do was ask a merchant where she could find the latest in magical technology and she was face to face with the red-head in no time.

Kotaro and Yue, on the other hand, made their way into one of the buildings that sold the latest text books. When they walked inside, the noticed it was definitely cooler than the outside…either because of the lack of people or because of a magical enrichment spell.

"What is it you're looking for?" Kotaro couldn't help but ask.

"Information on the Inugami tribe," Yue commented idly, looking over the titles of various books.

"Why?" Kotaro couldn't help but ask.

Yue glanced at Kotaro briefly, casting him an endearing smile. She couldn't help how much he reminded her of a curious puppy.

"You told me that your mother was Inugami," Yue continued, "And so you were the only one born."

Kotaro nodded, urging her to continue.

"Well, in this case, the Inugami is the father…" she finished, "I want to know if I'm only going to be having one child…or if it will be more like the rest of the Inugami tribe…and have an entire litter."

Kotaro's mouth was agape, and Yue couldn't help but notice how the word 'litter' didn't seem to affect him at all. He was definitely one of the dog tribe.

Kotaro turned a sickly pale color again and Yue could hear him whispering to himself… "One child…seven children…?"

"Kotaro, calm down!" Yue scolded.

It didn't help. He started sweating and hit the floor in a complete flummox. Yue could practically see the swirls in his eyes. She sighed and, as to take advantage of the situation, dropped a book on his head.

"Dummy…" she commented to herself more than him, "I'm the one who should be having cold sweats…you're not the one that would have to give birth seven times at once…"

- - - - - - - -

"Negi!" Nodoka yelled out of desperation. She was exhausted, running after him through every shop they visited, and he wasn't even breaking a sweat. This man had any shopaholic female beat hands down.

"Darn it…" she panted, "Fine, Negi, I didn't want to do this but…"

She raised her hand in the air, facing his direction and yelled, "Stop!"

Negi froze in place, unable to move, while the spectators gathered around, commenting the strange position he was in.

"Why isn't he moving?" one of them asked.

"Sorry!" Nodoka yelled, making her way through the crowd, "He was running around worse than a teenage girl!"

She stood in front of him and put her finger to his forehead. He instantly started running again, unaware that he had even been forced to stop, and Nodoka's finger held firm. In les than a second he was airborne and then planted firmly on the ground; his head pounding.

"Umm…Nodoka, what happened?" Negi asked, completely unaware.

"You wouldn't stop running, so I stopped you," she stated, shrugging her shoulders.

"Umm…what's with the crowd?"

"Again…you wouldn't stop running…so I stopped you…completely."

"Oh…sorry…"

Nodoka gave his a sour look.

"But…but, Nodoka, they have the latest innovations in magic…most of these are impossible to find! Look at them all!" Negi started pulling the different magical artifacts he'd purchased out of his cloak.

Nodoka continued to give him a sour looked until he apologized…which only took a few more seconds of waiting.

"Just don't run off without me, okay?" Nodoka pleaded.

"Alright, I'm sorry," he replied genuinely.

The two continued searching the shops.

- - - - - - -

"Come on, Set-chan!" Konoka yelled, pulling Setsuna by her arm, "They've got all sorts of stuff around here!"

Konoka was searching through a shop's set of medicinal herbs when three rough looking men took their places around her.

"Say there cutie, how about you join us for some fun?" the larger man of the three whispered to her, lifting her hair away from her ear.

"No, thank you, I'm just looking through some herbs right now. We've got to meet up with our group in a few hours," Konoka replied complacently.

"…We?" another of the three asked, but he was answered when the scabbard of Setsuna's sword collided with the bigger man's hand, making a cracking noise.

There was a howl of pain from the man as he pulled his hand away and he gave her an evil glare. His response was much worse than he could ever hope to accomplish.

"Hands off," came Setsuna's voice, "Unless you want to lose it."

The sheer violence coming from Setsuna's voice sent shivers down the three men's spines and they were quick to apologize and disappear.

"Honestly…things don't appear to have changed much from…wait…I guess things won't change much for the next few hundred years…" Setsuna stated inquisitively, lifting her head to see the clouds.

"Set-chan, this is for you!" she heard Konoka call out. What she was met with was a Jink Root to her nose. Something said to induce sleep, but recover vitality quickly. The next thing she knew, things were spinning and she was getting rather drowsy.

"Set-chan?" Konoka asked as Setsuna fell into her shoulder, "Set-chan, if you were tired, why didn't you just say something?"

Setsuna tried to regain her balance and shook off the dizziness. When she finally regained her composure, Konoka collided her body to Setsuna's and squealed into her chest.

"Hey, Konoka…what do you remember from that night about a week ago?" Setsuna asked, remembering that drink Konoka had made…which unfortunately consisted of enough alcohol to make her do…interesting things.

"Everything," Konoka replied, looking up to Setsuna's face from her chest.

Setsuna turned bright red, "You don't mean everything-everything, right?"

"No, I mean everything."

The redness that was being contained on Setsuna's face could no longer stand the strain. In a brief moment, Setsuna's entire body resembled the color of a boiled red beet.

- - - - - - -

Back at them apartment, the three that hadn't gone out: Chisame, Haruna, and Chamo, lay unconscious on the floor…they'd used Chisame's artifact to access the internet. For some strange reason, the artifact was connected to the time they had come from…time even seemed to flow normally. Documents and pages were being updated regularly and even eBay seemed to follow the flow of time. The only thing the group couldn't seem to access was Mahora University. From some unknown reason, the artifact would take them anywhere but there.

Needless to say, this brought a lot of confusion to the group, who were hoping, rather badly, to see their home again.

"I can only suspect…" the ermine reasoned, "That it has something to do with Chao."

The other two remained silent…neither could disagree, but at this present time, there wasn't a thing they could do about it.

- - - - - - - -

Asuna had broken off from the group and now sat on the edge of the gigantic wall that circled the town…if one could even call it a town. It was definitely big enough to call a city…probably its own country if they so desired it, but right now Asuna didn't want to be around that many people.

They'd been traveling for years and this was only the third time anyone had accepted them. The first time was by Genghis Kahn, which ended with the group losing their two primary fighters…the second was much worse. They ended up being run out of the town when Kotaro and Setsuna's pasts were discovered. They somehow managed to get out of the village unscathed, but she wasn't so certain of this place. They were asking them to help fight a war.

Asuna looked down briefly, gazing at the thirty foot drop that was so certainly waiting before her. Years before, should she have attempted a leap down, she would have probably killed herself, but now it didn't seem so far down…she'd traversed worse. She doubted that the fall would even sting her legs. Unfortunately, it was put to the test.

Up ahead she saw a figure of a man limping his way to the village…covered in blood. He was being chased by something, Asuna wasn't sure what it could be, but he was definitely running from something.

In a flash, she was down and sprinting forward, hoping to get to the man in time to save him from whatever it may be that was chasing him. She got lucky; it was a massive beast with spikes jutting from its dark blue arms. It was hunched over like a gorilla, running by using its legs and arms alternately. How the man had managed to outrun the beast this far was beyond her.

She heard shouts behind her and knew that the border guard had finally seen the man coming…or moreover, the beast coming. Had they followed her when she had sprinted to the man, they may have been killed by the beast. Its massive arms came swinging down at Asuna, and she was quick to dodge, throwing the man out of its reach at the same time. In a shimmer of light and one swift motion, the beast was dead, cut clean in half by the woman's sword. Asuna could only mutter two words as it dissipated, "A summoning…"

The man lay on the ground, panting when Asuna reached him. She noticed that the blood was coming from a wound on his arm…or, more like the wound where his arm had been. Apparently the beast had made use of its spikes.

"Hold on, I'll carry you to the medics," one of the guards stated as they reached the two.

"No…time…" the man huffed out, his breaths struggled.

"Tell…Fleaux…Bird Tribe…" the man continued, "They're coming!"

The guards turned white.

"You can tell him yourself," Asuna told the man as she picked him up, "There's a healer at his mansion."

With speed faster than any of the guards could have mustered, Asuna bounded into the city and to the governor's home. It was verging on dusk, and Asuna knew that the others would undoubtedly be back. She could only hope that she was correct…the man in her arms didn't seem like he'd survive long enough to wait.

When the two finally reached the manor, its guards were the first to greet her. As they tried to stop her she bounded over them and headed straight towards the entrance, where she met the one person she was looking for.

"Konoka, he doesn't have long!" she yelled.

With an expression few who knew Konoka had seen, she quickly began reciting a healing spell.

"That will hold him for a few more hours, we need to get him inside. It will take all the time I can get to re-grow that arm of his."

The man looked at Konoka shocked. Re-grow his arm? Was that even possible?

"Alright, let's go," Asuna stated and led the way to her room.

"I'll need time to concentrate…that means all of you out except Set-chan," the woman commanded.

The group knew why Setsuna was told to stay; she was a means of defense, and the only one that Konoka could have around as a presence to concentrate. Stern and silent, Setsuna was a perfect guard, especially for someone as powerful as Konoka.

Everyone left the room to the three, knowing that Konoka was the only means to save the man's life, and Asuna told them what had happened.

"You need to go report this to the elder, you know," Kotaro replied with a stern resolve in his voice.

Asuna agreed and leapt the stairs to the governor's room in only a few bounds. When she entered, she felt it would be proper etiquette to bow before him on one knee before being asked to report.

"Asuna-san? What brings you into my office?" the elder asked, looking up from his pile of paperwork. Now Asuna couldn't help it: paperwork? Beard stroking? Uncanny means to devious ideas? Was this man Konoka's grandfather's great grandfather or something?

"Elder Fleaux…" Asuna began.

She explained the story to him in full detail when the guards that had been there to witness the happening finally arrived. They made it just in time to hear her finish the report. They quickly verified her story…recanted almost exactly word for word.

"Oh my…you do seem to be quite powerful in your own right…" the elder commented impressed, stroking his ever-gray beard, "Guards, if you will, report this to the generals and the council members. I need to go and see this messenger to hear the rest of the story."

The elder stood over the man, who was finally resting quietly in Asuna's bed. Only minutes before he had been screaming in pain as his arm re-grew itself. The elder couldn't seem to get out of his mind how powerful his new comrades were. Had Kotaro and Negi decided to attack him the day they had met, he wasn't so certain he would have survived…and now this? Re-growing lost limbs?

"Elder Fleaux…" the messenger whispered.

"What is your report?" the elder replied, strictly business.

"The bird tribe has destroyed the outlying town of Utanaris, and is presently headed in this direction. I come from that town. The demons summoned a monster that managed to follow me for weeks. I passed at least two other towns on my way here and gave them fair warning of the enemy's movements, but they didn't seem to believe me. Assuming that the bird tribe does make it past those two towns…they will be here in only a month's time."

The elder looked down at the man seriously, "That gives us a full month of preparations. Negi, Asuna, Kotaro, Yue, Nodoka, Setsuna, Konoka, Chisame, and Haruna…those of you that can fight, I request that 

you show up to the training camp tomorrow. I want our troops to witness how powerful their enemies can become, and I want you to teach them how to fight them the only way I know how."

The group looked at him uneasily.

"You mean we're going to fight groups of your men at once?" Kotaro finally asked.

"Yes, each of you will be assigned a regiment and you will fight them. All of them at the same time. This will not only show our men how strong their enemies can become…but it will show us how powerful you are."

"Kill two birds with one stone, eh?" Kotaro asked, his trust in the old man having grown since the morning.

"Yes…" the man replied sternly.

"Count me out…" Chisame replied quickly, "I don't fight."

"Very well, down to eight?"

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to decline too…" Yue stated.

"Your reason is more than acceptable, Yue. Seven?"

The group nodded their heads.

"Seven it is then," the elder affirmed, "I'm sure I can condense the troops to make it larger groups for you."

Kotaro smirked, "Are we allowed to use 'all' of our abilities?"

The elder knew what Kotaro was getting at…and it was more than obvious to him that Kotaro was wanting to fight his people more and more, "Yes," the elder replied with an evil smirk, "All of your abilities…and that goes for you too Setsuna."

Setsuna bowed and smiled and Kotaro had to agree with her. These people had no idea what they were about to witness.


	10. Chapter 10: Ears and a Tail?

Negi crept out of his room later that evening, and followed the hallway until he reached the entrance of the manor. He silently opened them and took flight, aiming for the roof…a place where he knew he could get lost mentally. When he finally reached his destination, he saw he wasn't the only one there; the usual people were there, with one knew visitor and one missing comrade.

Asuna waved him over and he took his seat between her and Setsuna, the elder sitting to Asuna's other side.

"I take it Kotaro's not joining us tonight?" Negi stated more than asked.

"No, he's spending time with Yue…with all that's happening between them, I don't blame him for not showing," Setsuna replied.

Negi nodded and gave a straight-forward glance to the rest of the large town. In the day, people could be seen from all over…warriors, wizards, mundane, and even some species of humanoid's Negi had never seen before…at least not in person. But the night time was much different; candles flickered in the windows of those who were still awake, and a few of the houses had a magical source of lighting. All in all, it looked like the town was a mirror for the evening sky, with little tiny dots shining brightly across its great expanse.

"Setsuna, don't transform in your battle," Negi declared, Setsuna simply looked over at him, "Fight with your Shenmei Ru, but don't show them your true colors just yet. I doubt even the highly trained soldiers of this town could hold up against the prejudice of an entire city."

The half-bird returned her gaze to the city, and there was a moment of silence that fell over the group. After a few minutes, Asuna couldn't hold back her comment and whispered for all of them to hear, "This town is so lovely and peaceful…nothing like the tides to come…"

- - - - - - - -

Kotaro was holding Yue's stomach gently; she was sitting in his lap, leaning against his bare chest. The two were only in their undergarments…they had intended to go directly to sleep, but Yue had started crying, and this was one of the only things Kotaro could think of to make her feel better.

Yue leaned back against his body and leaned slightly to the left, moving her head in a position to kiss him. He slowly reached and put his hand to her cheek, but as he was moving his lips to hers, he felt Yue shift slightly. Instead of kissing him, she was nuzzling his neck. Without knowing it, Yue was committing one of the dog tribe's more sacred acts of endearment.

Yue, on the other hand, had no idea what she was doing. At first, she had meant to kiss Kotaro, but when her face got close enough to his, she smelled something she hadn't smelled before. It was almost a sort of musk, but it was intoxicating and the next thing she knew, she was nuzzling her cheek against Kotaro's neck. But Kotaro didn't seem to mind, in fact, this had been the beginning of his courtship of 

Yue. He was one of the Inugami, and this was how the first began the act of making love…it was all too natural to him for him to question it.

The next thing Yue knew, she had turned around on him on the bed, and the two of them were sitting on their knees and hands. Instinctively, she nuzzled his neck again with her face, and continued so her neck was touching his, and then the side of her back was against his chest. He quickly returned with a swift maneuver around Yue, making sure to have physical contact with his bare skin to hers, sliding across her back. He then crawled under her body and let his bare back run across her chest. When he cleared out from under her, he looked her over quickly, completely lost in his and her combined scent; it was like a drug to the both of them. But something caught his attention…when he looked her over he noticed she had white fox ears on top of her head and a white tail…at least he thought she did. He was completely lost in the musk of their scent and wasn't sure of much of anything at the moment.

Yue was much the same…she couldn't tell heads from tails right now…all she knew was that she was lavishing Kotaro with her body and that it was one of the most pleasing things she had ever done…she felt as though she were giving her entire self to him. Kotaro felt the same, but innately the two both knew that they were performing a mating dance on the other, but neither cared…this was what they wanted…this was who they wanted.

Yue closed her fist into a paw and rubbed her shoulder and then back into Kotaro. When she finally lay down before him, exposing herself in all vulnerability, she too her pawed hand and put it to Kotaro's cheek. He pawed his in unison and placed it on the center of her chest. As he moved in closer to kiss her, both paws opened to a full hand, and the two kissed. The two were so preoccupied in each other and their scent that neither of them noticed Kotaro's black and brown tail had moved and wrapped them together…and a similar white and brown one did the same.

- - - - - - - -

"Kotaro! Yue!" Nodoka almost screamed as she and Negi entered their room.

The two had passed out under the covers, Yue's was still laying on top of Kotaro when they awoke. Yue immediately realized that the two were staring at them and pulled the sheets up to her face.

"What are you two doing?! We're indecent!" she screamed, her face turning red.

She was answered by two fingers pointing above Yue's head. She immediately looked up and at the ceiling…nothing was there.

"What are you two pointing at?" she asked.

"Your ears…" Kotaro responded, a strange feeling overcoming him, "Your ears and tail…"

"What?" was Yue's only answer before she patted the top of her head. She felt something fuzzy and warm on the top of her head…two somethings…and then she moved her hands to where her human ears were, but they weren't there anymore.

"What they hell's going on here?!" she yelled, but she immediately recoiled. She noticed Kotaro had too, so it was a safe assumption that it was because of her new ears.

"What happened…?" she asked herself, stroking her ears.

"So…pretty…" was all she heard as Nodoka ran up to her and began rubbing her ears and stroking her tail. Reflexively Yue began to lean in to the petting…she realized why Kotaro liked it so much. Unfortunately, a jealous Kotaro was quick to shoo her away.

"Now you're going to have to scratch them for me," Yue stated, upset that her treatment had ended.

Kotaro blushed, but smiled sweetly at her, looking her over lovingly.

"What is it, Kotaro?" she asked.

"I had no idea that it was possible for someone to become so much more beautiful…when I thought they were the epitome of beauty before…" he replied.

She nuzzled his neck and took in his scent. The only thing that crossed her mind at this moment was a single, somehow appropriate thought, 'No wonder Kotaro always got lost in my scent like this…he has it good!'

"Umm…Yue…Kotaro…?" Negi interrupted the two as they were beginning to nuzzle and play with each other again. The two forced themselves to stop and they gave Negi their attention.

"You guys realize you're still not clothed…right?"

The two were chased out of the room by pillows and books…each being thrown at a high velocity.

It was almost like Kotaro and Yue's relationship had jumped to a higher level; they were always playing around and staying close to each other. Negi could only conclude that the two liked the way the other smelled…and it was their scents that attracted them to one another so frequently. But one answer had finally been attained, leaving so many more in its wake. Yue wasn't pregnant…she was a half-breed…of the Inugami tribe.

As the group reached the coliseum, which they could have sworn wasn't there the day before , Yue informed the elder of the strange occurrence, and he agreed that he no longer sensed the strange magical presence about her, but that she felt the same as Kotaro. She was given a number and a regiment that she was to face.

Though she had just turned Inugami the night before, she knew instinctively how to hide her ears in her hair, and her tail stayed under her skirt. The group were given their numbers and told to take their places at the side benches surrounding the pit of the coliseum. When they entered the arena, they noticed the seats were full of military officers and enlisted personnel. It appeared the elder was quite strict about who would learn of the group's involvement in the war and who would never even know they existed.

"I wish I could tell you that this gathering has been called for your viewing pleasure, but it hasn't. The Bird Tribe are marching towards us now. We are expected to meet them in battle in less than a month, and for that, I have brought eight guests to show you where you stand and where you need to improve," the elder stated in a magically amplified voice, "You are all going to compete in at least one battle today…and quite possibly more than that."

The entire coliseum was engulfed in noise…so much that Yue had to put her hands over her ears.

"You'll get used to it, Yue," Kotaro consoled.

"Our first challenger is Kagurazaka Asuna…and our first regiment must please step forward.

The soldiers took to the stairs and were finally all at the ground level in the pit when Asuna finally stood up. She had suspected something like this may have happened: the majority of this regiment were wizards…so she was getting a bad end of the deal. While she wouldn't even get a worthwhile fight, the militia before her would get plenty of battle experience against a foe that was extremely rare.

She stood on the edge of the pit, a good forty feet in the air, and dropped to the ground. Several gasps were released from the group…they'd expected a girl like her to fall to her death over something of that height…or cast some powerful levitation magic. She did neither, and she landed as light as a feather. This act in itself brought wonder to the girls abilities, but what she did next sent them into an immediate guard.

With a single word and a blinding light, there was a titanic sword in her hand, drawn to kill.

"I don't plan on killing any of you," she commented idly, "But you better aim to kill me, because if you don't, you have no chance of winning."

There were gulps from the regiment and, when Fleaux ordered the command to begin, she noticed an attack formation appear. Wizards had taken the focal points around the area and began casting their most powerful spells.

"You'd better be casting something to help your comrades!" she screamed, swiping her sword at the air. An enormous blast of energy collided with the main force and slammed them back into the walls. Only a select few had managed to duck, but from the sounds of the wizards surrounding her, they thought they had an ace up their sleeves. When the spells were completed, massive blasts of air, fire, water, and earth all appeared and collided with her. At least they thought they collided.

When the smoke cleared, even the elder's mouth was left on the floor. She didn't have a scratch on her.

"You need to focus on your teammates," she scolded, dusting off her cloak, "Because you never know what abilities your opponents may have. Absolute Magic Cancelling, for example."

The wizards didn't bother trying to debate whether she was telling the truth or not. They dropped their weapons and surrendered.

"You guys get all the fun!" she screamed up to Negi, Kotaro, and the others.

She quickly dispatched the remaining infantry and gave an ill-approving gaze to the elder. He covered his eyes in embarrassment. There were thirty two of his men lying unconscious on the battlefield…unconscious from the attacks of a twenty-five year old woman.

"That was a disappointment!" the elder yelled out to his troops, "You didn't even last a moment! You're part of the largest military in existence right now, and if you can't even give a young woman a challenge, what point is there of your being here?"

He didn't even give the troops time to discuss their defeat.

"Next up is Regiment two, and Setsuna."

Setsuna quietly walked down to the arena and took her place opposite the arriving regiment. She gave a quick bow to the others and, in etiquette, they returned her bow, only to be scared out of their skin. The eyes that glared at them were nearly a perfect white, but one could see the hint of blue surrounding where her pupils should be.

"What are you?" the man in front called out.

"Begin!" the elder announced in his magical voice.

"I am Shenmei School Martial Artist, Sakurazaka Setsuna."

The man didn't have any idea what the Shenmei School was…and he didn't have time to ponder it. In less than a moment's notice, he was on the ground unconscious.

The other combatants slowly backed away from the girl, giving her distance as to get a proper measure of her abilities.

"Trying to get distance is pointless," she stated, now behind the group. They all turned to face her when she attacked from where she had originally been standing.

"What's going on here? Two of you?" a soldier cried out, getting slammed into the stone.

"Shadow clones…" the elder whispered to himself, amazed that he had lived long enough to see such mastery of the technique.

Slowly, the battle was left between Setsuna and one man who was still rather shaken from having to defend against two of her.

"You're not bad," Setsuna complimented, and she disappeared from where she was standing.

The man hit the ground, puking from a hard punch to the gut.

"Just not good enough…" she finished.


	11. Chapter 11: Playin Games in the Coliseum

"I'm hoping those were your newest recruits, Elder-san," Setsuna commented to him when she passed him.

Truth was, they weren't…they had been informed only the previous day that they were to fight a single person as a regiment. At the time, they were cocky and arrogant, so the elder was certain they would be able to put up a fight. But after seeing the opponents, his troops seemed to have lost their nerve, whether it was from fear of hurting their opponents or from doubting their abilities…they were proving to be an unreliable force. In a way, he was worried that his fighters were incapable of putting a single scratch on his new allies; in another way, he was baffled by Asuna and Setsuna. How could two as young as they were be so powerful?

"Regiment three and Konoka!" the elder called out, thinking his people may stand a better chance against the young woman. He was wrong.

As the troops and Konoka took their place on the battlefield, Konoka pulled out her two fans and held them in front of her body, one facing the left, and the other facing the right.

"Those are healing fans…" one of the soldiers commented to the others.

The man's words had a dire effect on the group. They felt relieved to be fighting someone that was resigned for nothing but healing.

"Don't think that I'm just a healer, now!" Konoka smiled cheerfully, closing her eyes and slightly cocking her head, "Even we healers have other magical spells."

The call was made to begin, and neither the troops nor Konoka made a move. For nearly a minute, Konoka stood there smiling…but the troops refused to make the first move. At least, not until one of them, tired of the wait and wanting to get the battle over with, rushed her.

He was fast…much faster than most opponents that Konoka had been forced to face…but he was still charging rather blindly. With one quick movement, Konoka shut the fan in her left hand and swung the one in her right. The simple wooden fan hit the man across the cheek, and he was sent flying. The others looked at her stunned. How could such a meek woman be that strong?

"Combat spell," she answered, reading their minds and walking towards them.

There were horrified looks coming from the group and many had started backing up.

When she finally stopped she smiled and cocked her head again, "This wasn't the most fun I've had in a battle, but at least you judged me wisely. If you'd all attacked me at the same time you would have been gravely injured. Sure, I'd heal you…but it would still hurt a lot."

The soldiers were confused…had they lost? They started looking around when they noticed that they were backed against a wall, and the healer they were facing was getting closer and closer.

The elder grit his teeth from the stands…how could seasoned fighters like them get so scared that they could be backed into a corner?

"It's because they've never seen anything like this," Yue explained, now standing beside him. He gazed at her ears a moment and she continued, "You warned them that they were facing a powerful opponent, yes? Well, we're something they've never seen before. The bird tribe casts a specific sort of magic and has warriors that follow specific fighting routines. They're predictable…we're not. We're humans, just as they are, but they had no idea we could be this powerful."

"I know…" the elder replied in flummox, "I find it hard to believe myself. I'm not entirely certain the most seasoned in our village could bind together to beat even one of you."

Yue eyed the man for a moment, "You could."

The elder put his gaze upon her for a moment, ignoring the fight, "After witnessing what your healer did and having felt the power of both Negi and Kotaro, I'm not so sure you're right about that."

"You have the experience," Yue replied, "We've all got over ten years worth of battle experience, but that's only one sixth of yours…in the very least."

"Are you calling me old?"

"Indirectly, yes, I supposed, but that's not part of the subject."

The elder smiled. He was glad he had met the group…they were a sight for sore eyes. So many different people from different backgrounds joining together for a common cause…it brought him hope that the world was not such a bad place and that its fate was not that of destruction.

"Umm…elder-san?" Konoka called out.

The elder looked over to where Konoka was standing and at all the unconscious people laying around her.

"I think they're spent."

It took a few moments to gather the unconscious soldiers…time that brought Haruna forward to request the next challenge. By the time the soldiers had gathered and everyone was down in the pit of the coliseum, a storm had begun to move in. Dark clouds were swirling overhead, and the elder knew this was going to be one vicious storm. All the more reason to continue the fights.

"Regiment four versus Haruna," the elder commented, curious as to the girls abilities.

With a flash of light, Haruna's artifact was conjured.

"A quill and pad?" the elder asked, completely baffled.

"This is going to be interesting. Haruna's never been in a fight on her own…" Yue commented idly.

"No…?" the elder replied, "Then this will be a learning experience for us all."

By the time the battle was commenced, the elder thought it was over. Hundreds of creatures had erupted from the pad of paper, many of them unknown to the older mage.

"What is that?" he found himself asking in bewilderment.

"Haruna's artifact. It allows whatever she draws to come to life…though I will admit that her drawing speed is much more impressive than that artifact. Most of those creatures didn't exist on her pad a moment ago."

The elder gave Yue a glance.

"Why are you telling me all of this? You're giving me all sorts of information about your weapons, and Asuna even told us she has absolute magic cancelling abilities…why do you trust us with this knowledge?"

"Because Kotaro and Negi came back alive from here, and with good news. You've trusted us, and so we're trusting you," she replied matter-of-factly.

The man couldn't help but wonder how such a girl came to be…she was blunt, but full of emotion at the same time…and yet, at times it was impossible to tell if she was feeling anything at all. So many curiosities about his new companions that he was wanting to resolve. But he knew that time would tell, eventually her would start understanding her and the others…all in due time.

When the elder turned his head back, not a single one of his soldiers was unconscious…no, they were in a much worse predicament. Apparently Haruna thought it would be funny to create thirty two creatures, the same number as the soldiers, with whips for arms. Apparently, the other creatures had overwhelmed the soldiers, and many were tied together with ermine golems. They were all sitting in the seiza position with their feet, knees, and hands tied together. The creatures with whips for arms were taunting the soldiers and pretending to begin a strike, only to stop midway, or purposely miss.

"Haruna, you dominatrix, stop that, you've won!" Negi called out to her.

Haruna was obviously enjoying herself, you could tell be the disappointed look on her face when Negi called out to her.

She looked over to the elder and couldn't help but ask him, "Should I begin the torment and interrogation or would you like to forfeit them?"

The elder had a difficult time deciding that one. If they were tormented, it might make up for them having lost to a novice. Though it wasn't what he was wanting, he went ahead and forfeit the regiment.

"Next up, Regiment five and Nodoka," the elder called.

When the group was down on the battlefield, Nodoka couldn't help but give them fair warning, "You don't want me to get this spell off," she commented before the battle began, "You'll want to rush me and force me to lose my concentration."

The battle was commenced, but the troops didn't rush her, believing it to be a rouse. She heaved out a sigh, knowing she had given them fair warning and began her incantation. While the soldiers watched in amazement as she began to recite her spell, many realized that it had been a warning. They had to stop that spell…they'd never seen one so powerful that it leaked enough magic to cause the user to levitate.

By the time they reached her, they didn't have a hope. She was already hovering ten feet in the air, and even the elder was watching with awe. He had felt a strange energy about her before, it was true, but he hadn't expected anything this spectacular. With all the magic power radiating from her, he had to wonder why it was that Kotaro warned him that Negi was the most powerful magic user in the group. Could that red-headed youth truly show more power than this?

He noticed his troops had stopped attempting to attack her, and they were all staring at her. It was a spectacle, true, but there was something unnatural about their silence. None of them were moving…it didn't even look as though they drew breath.

The elder couldn't help his curiosity, but soon, Nodoka had finished her spell, and the troops were returning to normal. At least he thought they had, but while the troops that had remained behind stood battle ready and waiting for the spell to be unleashed, the troops standing hear Nodoka didn't do anything at all, until the finally began to move.

They didn't attack Nodoka at all; rather, they began a steady march back towards their comrades: weapons drawn. Their slow trot steadily turned into a jog, and then a full out sprint…all this time, the troops that weren't under Nodoka's control were confused as to what to do. One by one they each dropped their weapons and got on their knees. There was no way that they could fight their own colleagues.

"Mind control?!" the elder nearly screamed, watching the young woman in action, "What in the world is going on?"

"You're right," Negi answered, now standing opposite of Yue on the elder's right side, "She has to ability to manipulate the minds, bodies, and even the space around her enemies. She can stop their breathing, freeze them in time, or even make them kill each other…or themselves, as you no doubt have noticed."

"And yet you're supposed to be the most powerful among them?" the elder replied, slightly curious.

"Most powerful mage, yes. I don't posses the most raw magical energy, that's Konoka; I don't posses the ability to control opponent's minds like Nodoka," the mage replied, "You'll get to see what I can do when I'm up."

The elder felt a chill in the air when Negi made the last remark. He couldn't explain why, but on the inside, he knew that Negi was the most powerful mage in the group…he could see it in his eyes. But 

how he could compete with mind control…that, he was desperate to see. So desperate that he decided that he couldn't wait.

"Very well then," the elder mage responded, a mischievous idea obviously crossing through his mind, "I've decided that we should up the next matches."

Negi gave the elder a curious look.

"Since you say that you are the most powerful mage in the group, I suppose you wouldn't mind testing that theory on a powerful enemy, right?"

"What is it that you have in mind, elder-san?" Negi asked, knowing what was coming next.

"You're opponent will be the most powerful mage in this town."

Negi gave a smile that many had seen on Kotaro over the years: a smile of anticipation…the only shown part of the desire to fight an opponent of incredible power.

"And for your friend Kotaro, I've decided he should fight our most powerful fighter…" the elder commented, "he's around your age, I do believe…perhaps younger."

Negi gave the man a curious glance, "What's his name?"

"Shinmei Ru."


	12. Chapter 12: The Princess and The Demon

"The Shinmei Ru?" Kotaro asked, more to himself than anyone around him. He had managed to hear the majority of Negi and the elder's conversation from where he was sitting.

"I don't believe so, Kotaro," Setsuna replied, taking a seat beside him, "The soldiers that I fought knew nothing of the Shinmei Ru Martial Arts style."

Kotaro gave her a curious glance.

"And, Shinmei Ru existed three hundred years before we did…right now we are closer to three hundred fifty years in the past."

"So the most logical conclusion," Kotaro replied, staring down at the pit, "Is that this man I'm to face is the ancestor of Shinmei Ru."

"I agree," Setsuna replied, nodding her head and trailing her gaze to the pit as well.

"Regiment Six versus Yue!" the elder called out.

This was the match Kotaro had been waiting for…he'd finally get to see Yue in action as her new self.

As the troops and Yue took the field, it steadily began to rain; within a few moments, the rain had turned to a downpour…and a few moments later: a lightning storm. The troops were looking to the elder who hadn't yet put up the barrier to stop the rain…hoping that he would call off the match; he didn't. But while several of the men were trying to protest, many of the others had cast their gaze to the woman in front of them.

She was smiling; watching her move in the rain was like watching a child…she was honestly and truly happy it was raining. The men curiously watched her as she ducked about, apparently trying to dodge rain droplets. Could this really be the powerful opponent that they were supposed to face?

"Kotaro!" Yue called up to the stands, "You've been holding out on me! I had no idea it felt this wonderful to be Inugami!"

Many of the warriors that had been arguing with the elder stopped. The entire force now held steadfast, several of them turning pale.

"Inu…gami…?" one of the men asked quietly.

Yue felt a slight chill and turned to face the troops. They were pale and looking at her like she was some sort of demon. Yue frowned and finally realized that this was both the blessing and the horror. She had so much fun with Kotaro and now that she was like him, their relationship had only grown…but she now saw what Kotaro saw. While it was true that she felt elated to be Inugami…she hadn't been prepared for the prejudice that came with it.

"Yes…" Yue replied, almost darkly, "Inugami."

Yue's ears lifted from her hair and she gave the enemy soldiers a harsh look…many of them started backing off, others gripped their swords tighter. At this moment, she finally realized everything that she meant to Kotaro…and everything he would mean to her from this point on.

"Begin!" the elder yelled out.

"Die, Demon!" one of the soldiers screamed, lunging at her.

She meant to dodge…to completely overwhelm the man that was charging at her…but she never got the chance. Without so much as blinking, Kotaro was standing in the center of the area, holding the man up by his throat and baring his fangs.

"Never call her a demon!" Kotaro growled, tightening his grip on the man's throat.

"Kotaro!" the elder and Yue both yelled out at the same time.

"This is my fight!" Yue scolded; Kotaro instantly gave Yue the scolded puppy look. "That won't work this time, Kotaro, drop him."

Kotaro looked down and the ground and dropped the man; he made a load thud as he hit.

"Now go back to the stands!" she yelled, pointing to where he was sitting a moment before.

He did…rather slowly, but he did.

"Sorry about that," she apologized to the man that was clasping his throat and gasping for breath, "He can be rather defensive of me."

The entire group gave her a bewildered look and cautiously looked over to where the young man was now sitting. They weren't so sure they wanted to fight her, knowing that if they landed a blow they might not get a chance to walk away.

"Don't worry, he won't jump back in," Yue answered before the question was asked, "He's usually pretty obedient in that manner."

"What, demon, is he your slave?" another one of the men growled.

"No, just a very endearing companion," she replied, understanding the resentment.

The battle soon commenced, the lightning storm getting worse by the moment, and Yue took only a few minutes to dwindle the group down. Most of her opponents fell to one shot moves…she hadn't even bothered to attempt a magical spell. While as a normal person, she couldn't have hoped to land one of her techniques, she found it much easier now that she was Inugami…her entire body was now toned physically in a way that normal humans couldn't hope. Even she noticed that her movements weren't just fluid…it was like she was dancing.

It only took a few more hits before the battle was called and Yue took her place at the stands in front of Kotaro.

"I'm sorry…" Kotaro apologized. His answer was a light kiss on the cheek from Yue.

"I appreciate the concern, Kotaro, but remember that if any of these fights turned deadly that the elder would stop it. The man was still paces away from me…ignore the words that come from his mouth…they're only meant to rile you."

"If it were directed at me, Yue, I could have ignored them…" Kotaro stated, looking down, and then returning his gaze to hers, "But not you. I won't let anyone down you…"

She smiled and kissed him again, but as she was taking her place beside him, she heard his name being called…and another name she heard many times before.

"Know that I am not a member of this army," the long-haired man told Kotaro as they walked towards the pit, "I am a martial artist desiring a powerful opponent. From what I hear…that's you."

"If it's a strong opponent you're after, you've found it," Kotaro informed him, "But I'm afraid you've got a while ahead of you before you can hope to defeat me."

The man stared Kotaro in the eyes and the two stopped walking, "Surely you have heard my name before," the man bragged, "I am Shinmei Ru…master of this town's martial arts."

"Indeed I have…" Kotaro replied, "But I've already told you…you have a while ahead before you can hope to beat me."

The young man smirked, "I guess we'll see, won't we?"

Kotaro couldn't agree more.

The two took their places in the pit and couldn't help but notice how the number of people in the stands had dwindled.

Lightning crashed around the two, lighting up their faces and then swallowing them with darkness once more. There was very little light purging through the clouds, and the majority of it came from the lightning spider-webbing across the sky. The call to begin came all too quickly from the elder, but neither combatant moved…letting their minds read the other's aura…to feel the power coming off both their opponent and from the sky…from the lightning that seemed all too appropriate for the battle about to unfold.

"I am Shinmei Ru!" the man declared, taking his fighting stance, "Master of the Taminari Clan fighting style!"

Kotaro glared at the man, but not for a moment did he lose his composure.

Kotaro took a similar fighting stance, but bared his nails and teeth in a deadly fashion.

"I am Kotaro…" he stated, forcing a chill up the man's spine. Kotaro was obviously enjoying this, because he couldn't help but drag the introduction out.

His smile faded, and it turned into an evil smirk as his ears rose from his hair and his tail made its way out of his pants. "Kotaro Inugami!"

"A pleasure to meet you, Inugami," the man stated without any prejudice in his voice, "Now let us begin."

Earth upturned and sparks flew as the two fought. In the beginning, the two were using pure martial arts…no weapons, no magic, no nothing…but a few minutes in, they realized the other truly was a powerful adversary and were forced to pull out the stops. Shinmei had already been forced to unsheathe his sword, a six foot nodachi, while Kotaro had summoned his double sword artifact.

With movements too fast for most of the troops to see, they had finally drawn to a vicious point of contact…they had both drawn blood, as slight as it was. Each had their sword at the other's throat, barely touching and forcing a small droplet of blood out.

"You're fast for a human," Kotaro complimented.

"You're fast for an Inugami," the warrior replied, having faced many of his tribe before, "But then, you're not a pure Inugami either…you're part human."

The two broke off and faced each other again, a mutual respect for the other now in place of their run-of-the-mill competition.

"I would like to see you at your strongest, Inugami," Shenmei requested, "Even if it really does mean immediate defeat."

"What…?" Kotaro replied, wondering how this man could know of his lycanthropy.

"I've read in history books that there was once a boy who was half Inugami and half human, and that he possessed incredible power…most of which came when he released the animal inside him," Shenmei explained, "I can tell that you're much the same, are you not?"

The man couldn't possibly understand how correct he was. That boy wasn't 'like' Kotaro…that boy 'was' Kotaro.

"Alright then…but if I'm going to do this…you're going to have to force me to," Kotaro replied, "I don't transform for just anybody…so if you can beat me in my prime as I am now, then I will show you how strong I am in my lycanthropic state."

"Fine by me."

The two clashed again, but this time, it was with a force neither of them knew could come from the other. They weren't holding back anymore. When the two broke off, a bolt of lightning truck right 

where they had been before, and with each forceful slash from the two combatants, more and more of the lightning found its way to the arena.

"Such power…" the elder commented, watching the battle unfold. He hadn't known that anyone could fight at such amazing speed for such a prolonged period of time. He especially hadn't known that the clan's prized fighter, Shinmei Ru, was this far superior to any martial artist he had seen in his lifetime.

"Neither of them is old enough to even drink a bottle of Sake, and yet they can fight with more power and skill than any fighter I've ever seen. Even the founder of our village, in his prime, couldn't match these two."

"If it makes you feel better, elder-san," Konoka commented, "Only Set-chan and Kotaro can even hope to fight like that right now."

The elder looked down at the woman, clearly six inches shorter than he, and smiled. He wasn't sure why he smiled, he just did. Maybe it was the idea of seeing such promising youths…or maybe the thought that he knew the future was in good hands…but most of all, he thought that he may finally have an upper hand against the Bird Tribe. His own men had fought them many times before and had always come out victorious…but with these sorts of allies? The victory against the Bird Tribe seemed closer than ever.

"It's a stale mate," Kotaro noted aloud, "You're too strong for me to beat you like this."

"You're one to talk…one slip and I'll lose my head," Shinmei replied.

"Well, I do believe that it's time to end this confrontation then…before one of us actually does lose his head."

"So you're actually going to show me?"

"Not doing so in a battle as fine as this would put shame on our bout."

Shinmei smiled. The man he was facing truly was an honorable warrior…something he had feared couldn't be found among the tribes of dog.

A loud growl was issued from Kotaro's throat and his eyes started turning white…much with most of his other features. The length of his hair began to increase, and his human-like appendages began morphing into more dog-like ones. After the first few seconds of the transformation, it was apparent that he was from the tribe of the fox, as his claws seemed to grow and his shirt began to rip.

Had the warrior expected a short increase of strength, he would have been overwhelmed, but Shinmei knew better. He had read and studied up on lycanthropy…and knew that if he were to have any chance of beating Kotaro in this state, any chance at all, he would have to be precise about his movements and never underestimate him.

When the transformation was complete, Kotaro was hunched over on all fours. His hair had grown so long, that it literally made his back look twice as big as it was. His ears and tail were bigger than they were before, and the majority of him looked fox-like…only his face remained that of Kotaro…other than being completely white and covered with fur that is.

Kotaro took to his hind legs, showing how much bigger than he was before. Though his height hadn't changed, his muscles had. They were much bigger than they were before and he was broader too. His body was completely covered with white fur, though it was no more than an inch long. His fangs had grown to nearly two inches long, as had his nails…which were now full fledged claws. Shinmei felt a cold chill wreak havoc down his body. He knew Kotaro would gain power and that he would change…but he hadn't been prepared for this much.

There was a yelp of excitement from the crowd…it almost sounded like a dog's yelp…and Kotaro knew naturally that it had to have been Yue. She had seen him transformed several times…but this was the first time she'd experienced it as an Inugami. She was fighting with every tooth and nail she could must not to jump down from the stands and get all over him.

Kotaro smiled to himself…thinking of what might happen when the battle was over; meanwhile Shinmei had finally recovered.

"I take it she's Inugami too?" the warrior questioned.

"You could tell?" Kotaro asked, curious.

"With the dog yelp and everything…my guess is you're letting off so much pheromone that it's driving her insane."

Kotaro couldn't help but laugh…a chance that Shinmei couldn't help but take. In that instant, the battle was over. Kotaro had caught the blade with his bare hand and broke it in two…shattering the warriors only hope for victory.

"You are impressive, Inugami," the warrior complimented, bowing in defeat, "I only hope we can spar again some time."

"As long as you promise to keep improving, I'll hold you to that," Kotaro replied, smiling and showing his fangs, "I've only ever been able to go all out on one person in this form and lose…"

The warrior stopped and watched him carefully.

"Only through defeat," Kotaro finished, "Can we grow stronger."

The battle was done, as was the storm. The two warriors left the battleground having forged an unspoken alliance and returned to the stands. Unfortunately for Kotaro, he didn't get much further than that. He got tackled when he reached the top of the stairs, and he and Yue both flew back down to the bottom and collided with the ground. While Kotaro was going to protest, he couldn't help but enjoy the cuteness of what Yue was doing: she had him pinned to the ground and was crawling on top of him, 

sniffing him all over. Under normal circumstance, he may have tried to stop her, but right now, he was too busy laughing at the situation to really care…and Yue didn't even realize how odd what she was doing looked.

- - - - - - - - -

Author Notes:

I like lightning…and storms in general. There was actually a storm here that inspired that part of the story. Though I couldn't actually write the part I had initially written (I typed it up in my phone and saved it) I'm not really disappointed as to how it played out in the end. For those of you who haven't noticed, I'm much better at describing scenes than I am at giving battle scenes. I was considering (and may still) writing the next chapter and posting another double update, but I'm not so sure right now. It's kinda late…  
Anyway, I appreciate all the people out there that read this, both those that review and those that don't (especially those that review, you make me want to write more and I like hearing your ideas on how the storyline might go, I really do enjoy it). I've posted it on my page already, but I figure that I'll go ahead and put it on here too.  
So you all know, this is not going to be a short story. There will be a lot of chapters in this…so make sure to keep reading. I'll try to post a new chapter every night (I have no life for those of you that are worried that I'm going to burn out. Don't worry, I'll hold out until the end. I'm finally really getting into the story.)  
Also, I'm sure you've noticed that right now I'm focusing on Yue and Kotaro more than the others. I promise it won't stay like that. I will give each character the respect and spotlight they deserve…they've all got interesting tails awaiting them.  
One more thing…it's on the natural content of the chapters. This is rated M for a reason…it does and will continue to contain explicit content and sexual situations…and it's verging on parts where there will be gruesome descriptions. This story is not a one shot basis…there is not just one major thing that's going to be happening…don't expect this thing with the Bird Tribe to be the main storyline…they've still got three hundred and fifty years to travel over…they're far from done.  
As I've said before, this story won't be short; I'm hoping to make it somewhere around three or four hundred pages long…if it gets longer, no big deal, but I seriously doubt it will be any shorter than that.

Once again, I thank all of you for reading my story, and keep watching for updates! There will be MANY!

Fenix Firestrome


	13. Chapter 13: The Tides of War

No sooner had the match ended than the explosions started.

"What in the blazes is going on?!" Fleaux yelled, running to get outside.

He never expected to see what he saw. There were bird tribe members everywhere: flying in the sky, attacking civilians; burning houses. Amongst the turmoil of it all stood one figure he couldn't help but identify: Tryval. Fleaux was stunned, but more than stunned, he was horrified. It was easy to tell that this wasn't a coincidence: Tryval was commanding the assault.

"Tryval!" the elder bellowed. All the noise seemed to stop and movement slowed; the two men's eyes met.

"This has to be some sort of trick! My own son would never betray his clan!"

Then it hit him…his son was dead. This had to be some sort of glamour; what other explanation was there?

"I know what you're thinking old man," an figure stated, appearing from the shadows, "Your son's dead...am I right?" Fleaux couldn't help but wince when she saw who had spoken to him. It was the messenger that had informed him of the bird tribe's whereabouts…obvious lies now. "You're right, he is dead…and now he is my loyal slave."

"Impossible, my own servant witnessed his cremation, this can't be him!" Fleaux dared to challenge.

"Cremation is all too easy to rectify. All you need is the ashes and you can recreate the body," the man sneered.

Fleaux couldn't help but lose his words then…he had assisted this man and had been played by him. He was opened up and read like a book by the necromancer…everything that had occurred since his arrival had probably been played out straight from the beginning and all measure planned…but how is it that this man could come to know him so well?

"You still seem confused," the man sneered, "Maybe this will help you…" The man reached in the bag he had slung over his shoulder and pulled out a full body suit: completely black.

Fleaux's eyes nearly popped out of his head. This messenger wasn't just a random messenger…he was one of his personal staff. This man had reported his son's death to him and, now more obvious than before, had probably been the one to deal him the fatal blow.

"I won't let you desecrate my son's memory…" Fleaux whispered to himself, closing his eyes and beginning his incantation.

"Bad idea…" the man stated, sending Tryval forth.

Tryval had been studying martial arts since the day he had learned to talk, but Fleaux had to assume that, since his death, his abilities had been lost. He was wrong.

Quickly, too quickly to see, Tryval unsheathed his swords and was on the offensive. Had he been alone, Fleaux wouldn't have lived long enough to see Tryval's attack, but as the swords swung down, another two reached up to greet them. There was no longer just the one son he remembered standing before him, but two identical men clashing swords.

Kotaro knew before he even clashed swords with Tryval that he was in for the fight of his life.

The two moved at lightning fast speeds; the only signs that they still existed were the sparks caused by the clanging of their weapons and, every so often, the tiny droplets of blood that hit the ground.

The remaining soldiers, those that were still conscious, began to file out of the coliseum, and immediately joined in the fray; moments later, all that could be heard was the roar of battle and the clanging of weapons.

Negi had exited the coliseum only moments after Kotaro, and was now watching the fray intently. Kotaro was lost to his eyes…even he knew when he couldn't keep up. His focus was less on the battle at hand and more so what causes this may have.

"We've got to stop this…" Negi whispered to himself, trying to think of a way to cease the fighting.

"I doubt that's going to happen anytime soon…" Yue replied, causing Negi to jump.

"How about…instead of stopping this battle…we move it?" Asuna asked, looking to the others.

Negi smiled…why hadn't he thought of that? But the task of teleporting an entire town full of people was rather demanding, even for a high class wizard…the only spell he knew that could move everyone at the same time would require much more time and magic than he had at his disposal, and even if he actually succeeded in doing it, he would be left completely drained of magic for a very long time.

"We don't have the power to move everyone at the same time…" Setsuna added in, interrupting Negi's train of thought.

This was where Yue and Asuna smiled. They both knew what was about to happen…Nodoka had finally joined them.

"Well, since we can't move everyone at the same time…how about we stop them?" Nodoka asked, pulling out a peculiar shaped wand with a large crystal on the top.

"You're actually going to use that?" Negi dared to ask.

Nodoka looked up at him and smiled…that was the last thing he saw before he started falling.

In order to travel through time, the cassopedia has to make very exact calculations. If anything were to go wrong, the spatial difference in time frames could cause you to appear in midair or in a solid object. 

Nodoka has a very curious ability. Much like the cassopedia, she has abilities that can cause time to stop for certain persons or objects, but they still follow the spatial pattern and are connected to real space time. Her wand, which Yue had amply named 'Existence', was created by her using her own special magic mixed with Emerald, her birth stone. It allows objects to freeze in both time and space. So while her time magic causes objects to flow with normal space parameters…Existence deletes those parameters entirely…causing the chosen objects to seemingly faze out of space. Put simply, instead of staying in earth's gravity pull…when frozen in time with Existence, the object would seem to melt into the earth. In this case, she waited for the earth to spin for a few more seconds after using it so they appeared in the air several miles away from the town.

Negi landed lightly, followed instantly by the others of his group: they had only been a few feet in the air.

"So instead of moving us…" Negi commented, "You moved the universe…"

"Pretty much, yeah," Nodoka replied.

There was a sudden shower of sparks above the two. For a moment, they had forgotten that Tryval and Kotaro were still locked in combat.

"We've got to enter the fray," Negi told the others, "You know what happens…it's got to be now."

Setsuna and Konoka nodded and withdrew a few yards. Setsuna knew what was to come of the ordeal, but Konoka was just doing as Setsuna suggested…she had no idea what was about to happen.

The others rushed into the fray leaving Konoka and Setsuna to whatever they had planned, and Tryval to Kotaro.

The battle that ensued was a bloody one…neither of the sides had expected an actual resistance from the other, but neither would back down. From afar, Setsuna could see bird tribe members being knocked from the sky by some of the airborne wizards…though they seemed to be taking them down in pairs instead of as individuals…perhaps they knew they had little chance in a fair fight. This was war…there was no room for a fighting chance. Inversely, many of the bird tribe members were being forced to attack the humans in pairs…while they weren't much in the air, the humans could put up quite a fight on the ground.

Amidst all the fighting, several individuals stood out. Negi was blasting away enemy by enemy, leaving Nodoka, his ministra, to cast protective spells or physical enhancements on both him and their allies. Asuna was doing just as she normally does…using the bird tribe members as feather dusters. No sooner would they turn to face her than they would be face first in the dirt. Fleaux had set up several golems and was casting spells while his golems acted as guards, and Shenmei Ru was tearing through the enemy in lines. All in all, the battle was progressively turning to their side…but she couldn't find Yue, Chisame or Haruna.

The next thing Setsuna saw was a giant cloud of dirt and a fierce tremor, but she couldn't make out what was happening in the midst of it all.

"That hurt…a lot…" Kotaro muttered to himself, standing to his feet, "Where did he…umf…"

Kotaro had been slammed to the ground by Tryval's mass. His weapons had been lost when he collided with the earth, and now he lay helplessly on his back with the warrior pinning him to the ground. He didn't have the time or energy to transform…and Tryval's hands were too swift. Tryval's weapons were quickly flipped around and he stabbed down at Kotaro.

Kotaro closed his eyes and turned his head as the blow was made. He had no desire to watch the end as it came. But a few moments later, he still hadn't felt anything and dared to open his eyes. The sight in front of him left him in awe: Yue had caught the blades with her left hand. While the sight of something like this would have shocked him one way or another, he couldn't help but wonder how. He looked at her hand and there was no blood…but instead it looked as though she was wearing a white metal gauntlet…one that formed to her hand and arm perfectly.

Kotaro looked to Yue's face…but what he saw there wasn't what he had expected. Her eyes were crazed…almost as though she had been turned into some sort of demon. She issued a low growl and focused in on Tryval…and that was it. Tryval's secondary existence ended there…she sliced him in half with her right hand…also covered with the shiny white metal.

"Yue…" Kotaro began, grabbing her shoulder.

The look she gave him made him quickly remove his hand…what had happened to cause this?

"Yue?" Kotaro asked, almost pleadingly.

Her look softened and she smiled at Kotaro, "Sorry…guess I sort of lost it there…"

"It's fine…what's happened to your arms?"

Yue looked down to her hands and gave Kotaro a look of utter bewilderment. It was quite obvious she didn't know what was happening either.

"I think it may be similar to my transformation…" Kotaro began to explain after looking at her arms a little closer, "I transform into a fox, but you're a Kitsune…already part of the Inugami tribe and a fox to boot…it looks like your body will just cover itself with this armor…"

Kotaro ran his hand along Yue's arm.

"I can feel that, you know…" Yue stated, quite confused about what was happening to her.

"What?" Kotaro asked, now just as confused.

Neither of them got a chance to continue on their conversation. They had forgotten the battle surrounding them; it had stopped momentarily after Kotaro's collision with the earth. They were 

brought back to reality with a dreadful conclusion. Neither of them saw the attack coming. The sword pierced Kotaro through the chest, much as it had on Tryval…the same exact sword that had pierced Tryal.

Yue lost it…her fear, confusion, and pain of what had just transpired. She screamed to Konoka, and she could see the healer running towards her, casting magic to stop Kotaro's bleeding from as far back as one hundred feet. She could only pray that the magic reached him in time…but slowly, her anger at what that sinister man had done began to take over…and the metal covering her arms began to spread…it covered her entire torso first, and then her legs…and slowly, it made its way to her neck and finally formed a fox-like mask on her face. Her anger knew no bounds…it was no longer just this one man she was mad at…it was everyone…everybody there was the cause of her and Kotaro's pain…and the demon in her blood came flowing out.

This was what Setsuna had been waiting for…the ground had begun to shake and there was a monstrous roar…the skies got darker and eventually blackened, and in the middle of the battle, a gigantic red demon arose. Its body was made purely of energy…the hateful energy that was being released by everyone engaged in battle…but at the center of the energy was something white and shining. This was what Setsuna had been waiting for. She had to destroy the Demon Fox of Nine Tails.

- - - - - - - - -

Author's Notes

I would like to formally apologize for taking over a month to post the next chapter. I'm sorry.

As for those of you who are reminded of Naruto, forget it, this it nothing like Naruto and the next chapter will prove it so. The Kyuubi demon mentioned and for some strange reason centered around Naruto is actually part of Japanese legend. It, along with the other tailed demons, were known to be preludes to great disasters.

I would like to give thanks to TaraneePheonix for her helping me out with the continuation of the story. I appreciate having fans and I'm sorry for taking so long to get this up (yes, I know I said it, I just really wish I could have gotten over this writer's block sooner).


	14. Chapter 14: The Great Fox

"A summoning?" Fleaux nearly yelled.

His answer came quickly as he was swooped up by Negi.

"Not quite," the man informed the elder, carrying him over his shoulder, "You need to call for the retreat!"

"It's no use, the telepathy's jammed," Fleaux responded.

Negi set the elder down a few hundred meters from the battlefield.

"Then do it the old fashioned way!" Negi yelled, returning to the fray.

"Retreat!" Fleaux's magically enhanced voice boomed over the battlefield.

The bird tribe seemed to believe the nine tailed demon had appeared to assist them and chased after the retreating humans. They couldn't be more wrong.

The demon's tails were writhing furiously as though they had been bound for an eternity, and with every flick came a violent wind. Many of the pursuing bird tribe members were killed on contact and many more were thrown to their deaths by the gales the beast was releasing…but the bird tribe wasn't the only side feeling the power of the beast. While many of the bird tribe were being demolished by the nine tailed demon's tails, many humans were as well. To its rear were humans and bird tribe members alike, being thrown in countless directions by its tails, and in its front were many more of both sides, waiting to be demolished like those before it. Not much could be made out of the demon's twisted visage. Not much could be seen of its body at all…as though it were translucent. But the one thing that both sides could see…the one thing that inspired fear even in the hearts of Negi Springfield and Setsuna Sakurazaki was the look on its face…a look of twisted glee.

"Retreat!" Negi heard Fleaux call out again. It was as if everything were slowing down…moving against the tide that was the nine tailed fox demon. He felt as if he were being pulled towards it instead of away…as though it were a center of magic. Negi opened his eyes wide; he understood.

"Setsuna!" Negi called out. She nodded her head and began her trek towards the demon.

The nine tailed fox seemed to sense something coming, and turned its massive hulk to face Setsuna. The way it moved was much more than anyone could have imagined. Surely for something so massive, its agility would be very low…again, something that seemed to defy the laws of nature itself. The demon faced Setsuna with the speed of lightning, almost making it look as though it were a glitch.

"Pactio!" Setsuna yelled, unfolding her wings. The heavens seemed to light up and even the demon paused for a moment to see its attacker for what she truly was.

Setsuna's pactio card was unlike anything Negi or the others had ever seen. Instead of forming a weapon, it formed an entire suit. Setsuna's body was covered with a golden armor. The helm of the armor concealed everything on her head except her face, with miniature white wings protruding from the sides. Her long white hair billowed behind her and, as her wings unfolded, she took flight.

While there were many stunned faces, there were no sounds of awe coming from the battlefield. Now even the bird tribe was retreating…and the nine tailed fox did not pursue.

"What have we incited?" Shenmei asked as he joined Fleaux and the others on a cliffside a few hundred meters away, "That the forces of heaven and hell should engage in our battle?"

Negi and the others remained silent. It wasn't the forces of heaven and hell at all…but two of their closest friends engaged in the battle for life and death. Kotaro was barely alive and laying behind the group, Konoka in tow, still casting her healing magic on him. Chisame and Haruna were missing and Negi had no idea what had happened to Chamo. One moment he had been on his shoulder and the next he was nowhere in sight. All their faith on ending this battle was now left in Setsuna.

The first strike was quick and flawless, but had the nine tailed demon thought Setsuna to be no worry, it was proven wrong. Setsuna's sword sliced straight through one of its legs, and the beast howled as red energy came flowing out of it, only to be reabsorbed.

Setsuna flew high to a safe distance and called out, "Yue! Yue, I know you're in there! Take control!"

The demon was unfazed and quickly began its counter. The first few strikes from its tails missed horribly, it hadn't anticipated Setsuna's speed, but the next few were nearly dead on. Setsuna had to block a few of them with her sword to keep from being torn in two. The final strike from the fox came as a surprise to Setsuna: it attacked with three of its tails and both of its front claws at the same time.

It was too much for Setsuna and she was thrown back into the surrounding forest. The onlookers hadn't anticipated what happened next. Not just one Setsuna came out of the forest, but twelve of them. They quickly moved in and surrounded the fox. This time, it was her turn to bite back.

The attacks came to all of the normal vital spots: the inside of the legs, the neck, lungs, and even the stomach. But no matter where Setsuna hit it, the beast regenerated. It was as though it was made of pure energy. The thought crossed Setsuna's mind again: pure energy.

"Fine, if I can't cut you up, I'll have to dispel you," Setsuna thought aloud.

Negi nodded his head; he'd been in telepathic communication with Setsuna for a few moments, hoping to come to a conclusion about what to do. The two agreed that it had to be dispelled; reaching Yue was too difficult.

"I'll be back shortly," Negi stated, removing his cloak and shirt.

"Where are you going?" Asuna asked. She paused for a moment as she saw Negi's chest begin to glow with magic. "Be careful about using those…" she finished.

Negi began to levitate and flew into the sky above the nine tailed fox. His chest began to show clear signs of tattoos…magical runes that he had engraved into himself: a last resort. Even if he were tapped on magic, these runes would draw the magic out of his very core.

"What are those things on his chest?" Fleaux asked the group.

"Magical runes…they give him an almost unlimited amount of magic…but the cost can be very great," Konoka responded, taking her place with the group, "Kotaro will be fine; he should wake up in a few minutes."

"You know how we said that he was the most powerful mage in our group?" Asuna reminded the elder, "We weren't particularly lying…but that's not the whole of it either. He's not just the strongest mage in the group…"

"He's the strongest mage in the world," Nodoka finished for her.

Fleaux's mouth dropped, and he looked up in time to see Setsuna hovering in front of them.

"Get out of here, now!" Setsuna commanded, "This attack's going to be deadly, even at this distance, so get out of here!"

The group quickly gathered up and set out, Asuna carrying Kotaro.

"The rain…falls…" Negi whispered, "The lightning…sounds… The fire…reigns… The earth…remains… And all that should see the spirit…shall bow before the heavens."

Negi started glowing a bright white and held his hands out in front of him; as the energy began to collect in his hands, the nine tailed fox finally noticed him…too late.

"Gods of heaven and earth, thunder and lightning, rain and sleet, fire and magma, come forth and form a spear to render my enemy!"

As Negi hurtled his magic blast towards the nine tailed fox, he felt Sestuna appear above him to add the final blow.

"Shenmei Ryu Style! Ultimate Thunder Clap Blade!"

The earth below the fox was incinerated and the fox itself began to melt away…little by little it began to dissipate until the only thing left was Yue…completely unharmed and covered in the white armor that she was wearing when she turned into the fox.

"Yue, are you all right?" Negi asked, shaking her to wake her up.

What came next was a total surprise; Yue swiped at Negi and jumped to her feet, growling.

"She's still the fox?" Setsuna asked, pulling out her sword.

"I don't know…" Negi responded, "Yue?"

Yue lunged at the group, but as Setsuna made to slash, another beast jumped out from behind her and connected with Yue. The two were rolling around on the ground, biting at each other…clawing at each other for several minutes before there was a proclaimed victor. Yue was pinned to the ground by the transformed Kotaro. He held her there for a few minutes until finally she stopped squirming.

Slowly, the armor on Yue's body began to fade away and after another minute, Yue was laying on her back, pinned by the now untransformed Kotaro.

"You had us scared for a minute there, Yue," Kotaro mentioned, still pinning her to the ground.

"Kotaro? What happened? I think I blacked out. I had this dream that I was fighting an angel actually…" Yue responded. She looked around her at all the destruction and then realized that Kotaro was forcing her down, "Kotaro…you're hurting me…"

"Oh, I'm sorry," Kotaro let her up and embraced her.

"The thing is, Yue, you really did turn into a monster and that angel you fought was Setsuna. Her artifact makes it look like she's a Valkyrie," Negi informed her.

"Oh god…what's happening to me Kotaro?" Yue begged, pulling into him closer.

"I think I know," Negi replied, "But let's get out of here first…and back to the village. Hopefully Haruna, Chisame and Chamo will be there as well."

The group began to make their way back to the village, leaving the decimation behind them…hoping that they would be able to avoid the Bird tribe for the next six months. They didn't want to have to face another battle like this.


	15. Chapter 15: The Taint

"I find that quite...difficult to grasp... I hope you understand," Fleaux groaned out, placing a hand on his forehead.

"Then I'm sure you can understand why we didn't say anything sooner," Negi replied, completely serious.

"Yes...no one would've believed you anyway. But that doesn't change how...shocking it is. Time travel?" the elder continued.

"It shouldn't seem so surprising," Nodoka added after a moment, "Even magic revolves around the flow of time. It should only make sense that time itself flows around magic as well."

Fleaux eyed the girl for a moment before his gaze returned to his desk. These mysterious youths, three of whom were biracial, appeared out of nowhere with power beyond imagination. Surely they were speaking the truth...he would've heard of these prodigies else-wise; to top it off, there was proof in written documents that these travelers had passed through the dimensional rift that controlled time...written in text books that he himself read as a child in school.

"So what time did you say you come from...?" the older man asked, obviously a migrane was setting in.

"The twentieth century...roughly three hundred fifty years from now," Negi replied, his face as stotic as ever.

"...Please tell me this is the biggest surprise you have for me," the elder practically begged, "I don't know if I could handle anything more...mentally trying than this."

"There are a few other things, but they can wait until we've all recovered our stamina," Negi finished, running his hand through his hair, "They're regarding the battle from a few days ago..."

Fleaux glanced up at Negi and Nodoka; standing there they seemed to fit the governing role more than he did right now. Even with everything they'd been through in the past ten years...in the past few days, even with several of their own suffering from sheer exhaustion, they were standing tall and proud, showing no signs of weakness. They were a guiding light for so many right now...and they knew it.

"Alright...enough with the business for now," Fleaux commented, sweeping his hand as to wave aside the mere thought of it all, "How are Kotaro and Yue?"

"Yue hasn't woken up since we got back," Nodoka replied, the worry for her friend obvious in her voice, "And Kotaro has woken up twice, but they were brief instances...he'd only wake up long enough to look over to Yue and try to reach out to her before he'd pass out again."

"I see..." the mage replied. He seemed to age years in moments, slumping as he did so; it seemed Fleaux had become rather attached to the canine couple.

"They'll recover just fine," Negi added, trying to consol the elderly mage, "Konoka is the best healer I've ever seen. They just need some time to regain their strength. They'll be up and moving around before you know it."

Fleaux smiled at Negi's attempt to cheer him up. "Thank you," he replied, "You two should probably get on out of here. I'll be calling for your entire group in two days time. We're having a counsil meeting, so as many of you that can make it would be wonderful."

"Of course, elder-sama," the two intoned, bowing at the same time.

As they exited his office, Fleaux turned to glance out the window. "From the future...and a bright one it seems."

- - -

"And you truely expect us to believe that tale?" a clean-shaven elderly man stated from behind his chair.

"You don't have to believe it for it to be true," Negi replied quickly. It was obvious that he wasn't a fan of speaking with higher officials; they always thought themselves better than others.

"As we told you before...we are merely travellers trying to get home."

"I'm afriad I'm finding this...rather difficult to believe," the elder mage replied, narrowing his eyes in Negi's direction.

"I for one," General Tobei spoke up, rubbing his goatee, "Believe him."

Murmurs spread throughout the council chambers and Tobei waited for them to cease before he continued, "These travellers assisted us in repelling an invasion by those blasted heathens...I have seen this man fight, and I have seen his comrades fight alongside him. They are no ordinary people, and I will lay my honor on the line to say that what they speak is the truth."

There were no murmurs this time, only disbelieving stares; Tobei was known as a warrior that held his honor higher than his life...if he was willing to stake it on something, odds were he was right.

"Then with the words of our General, we wil accept your tale as truth," the elderly man spoke up again, "Now before we begin our main discussion...might I enquire as to the whereabouts of the rest of your group?"

"I'm afraid Yue, Kotaro, and Konoka are suffering from extreme exhaustion; Setsuna is with Konoka at the moment," Negi replied, taking his place in front of the remainder of his group.

"Your comrade found this...Konoka...to be of higher priority than this council meeting?" an elderly woman piped up.

"Yes."

"And why is that?" another elderly man spoke up from his place in the stands.

"Because she doesn't owe her alliegance to anyone but Konoka," Negi replied tersely.

The cousilroom was once again engulfed in murmurs.

"Rest assurred," Negi continued, gathering their attention, "That we will continue to stay and assist this village so long as Elder Fleaux requests it, and we will pledge our loyalty to it so long as we are here..."

By now, Fleaux had a grin from ear to ear, watching the council writhe beneathe Negi's commanding voice.

"But we only pledge our loyalty as Allies, not soldiers for you to command. We will be continueing our journey in six months, whether your war is over or not."

"If you won't pledge your undying fealty to us, then we could always..." another councilman began.

"Watch your tongue before it lands you under the guillotine!" Fleaux bellowed, lifting himself to hover over the councilman, "If I find even a hint of malace towards these travellers then I will see to your immediate execution myself!"

The room became silent and still...it was an uncomfortable reminder to every man and woman on the council that Fleaux Taminari was still the ruler of their village.

"Enough of this, you're wasting our time," Asuna stated, taking her place beside Negi, "Either let us get down to business or let us out of here. I'm tired of this useless squabble."

"My apologies, Asuna," Fleaux immediately responded, bowing low, "Allow us to continue on to the main topic..."

- - -

"Where am I?" Yue asked aloud, slowly easing herself up in bed, "That's right...the battle...where are...Kotaro!"

Yue lept out of her bed and landed beside his, looking him over as she did so.

"No wounds..." Yue stated, "Konoka must've patched him up..."

"Yue..." Kotaro whispered, his face contorting slightly.

"I'm here!" she replied hurriedly, taking his right hand in both of hers.

"Where are you...Yue..." he whispered again after a moment, his head slumping to the side.

"You're asleep...at least you're all right..." Yue mumbled, placing her forehead on his hands. She immediately recoiled from how cold he was.

Wide-eyed, the woman rushed over to her bed and grabbed her blanket for Kotaro and, after placing it over him, crawled into bed with him. Hopefully her body heat would be enough to warm him back up.

Instinctively, his arm moved over her body and he embraced her. She nuzzled her head into his chest and quickly fell asleep.

- - -

It had been five days since the battle and Kotaro had still not awakened. Yue was by his side all day, every day for that time frame, just in case he woke up or if his fever jumped.

More than anyone else, Kotaro had been pushed beyond his limits. He'd been forced to use his lycanthropy in battle, atop of having already used it against Shinmei Ru, he'd been run through with a sword, and he'd had two of the most difficult battles of his life. Konoka and the others worried he may not wake up for several more days.

Chisame, Haruna, and Chamo were easy enough to find; Nodoka had purposefully left them in the town with the other villagers, having deemed them too inexperienced to face a battle like that one. If nothing else, they could be considered the villages final trump cards had the battle turned ill in their favor.

Konoka was magically drained, as was Negi...both of them had to call on reserves that had locked inside of them for emergencies: Negi to fight the fox; Konoka to heal all the wounded soldiers. Among the group, ony Setsuna and Asuna were in true fighting condition...even Nodoka was below the weather; freezing time and space for hundreds of people at once was no easy task.

But none of this stopped Asuna from digging the information she wanted out of Negi's thick skull. Apparently, according to Negi's hypothesis, the magical amulet they'd picked up from the past suffered a sort of...leak. When it mingled with it's original energy source, the World Tree, it leaked some of it's magic out and, seeing as it had been slightly contaminated now that it was no longer in a pure source, it found its only outlet in their organic bodies.

Yue, Negi presumed, had an ancestor of demonic heritage, whether half-breed or pure, so when the magic entered her body, it brought out her Kitsune blood; the nine tailed fox was merely the taint in the magic.

While it was unknown whether the fox would resurface again or not, Negi and Asuna both believed that the fox wasn't the worst of their problems. The contaminated magic didn't just make its way into Yue's body...it made its way into all of their bodies. Even Asuna wasn't an exemption to the World Tree's magic. There was no telling what it may do to any of them, but seeing what it had done to Yue, the were sure it wouldn't be good.

- - -

"Yue!" Kotaro yelled out, cutting his way through the enemies closest to him, "Where are you!"

Kotaro heard Yue's voice call out to him from afar, but it was closer than it had been a few minutes ago. He immediately barrelled through the enemy ranks, each step taking him closer to his goal, until he finally stood in front of the woman of his dreams...but it didn't look like she was herself.

"...Yue?" Kotaro asked, even as the demons he'd been fighting through surrounded them, "Are you..."

He was cut of by a deep, menacing growl that seemed to come from every direction. Immediately, he rushed for Yue, meaning to sweep her up in his arms and get away from the sound, but he was stopped short when her hand reached up and grabbed him by the throat.

"Y...Yue...?" Kotaro choked out, trying to pull her hand of him.

"You fool..." Yue chuckled in the same menacing growl, "She's mine now."

"Let...her...go..." Kotaro replied, struggling for breath.

"Never. I will torture her for the rest of existence!" the beast laughed out in malicious glee.

"I...said..." Kotaro repeated, his eyes beginning to change, "Let her go!"

- - -

A fully transformed Kotaro roared and leapt out of his best, slamming his fist into the wall on the opposite side of the room.

"Kotaro!" Yue yelled out as she grabbed and tried to subdue him, "Kotaro, it's me! Calm down!"

Kotaro couldn't hear her. The next thing she knew, she had been thrown across the room onto the other bed while Kotaro continued to pummel the wall, occasionally turning and swiping at the air.

Before Yue could get up and attempt to stop her lover a second time, the door to the room burst open, and soldiers started filing in.

"Get out of here!" Yue screamed at them, "He's lost himself! He doesn't know friend from foe right now!"

The soldiers didn't bother listening to her, but before Kotaro could decapitate the closest of his new enemies, he stopped cold...but his growling showed he was still very aware of his position.

"Nodoka, you're just in time!" the Kitsune called out to her friend as she walked past the soldiers.

Negi soon followed her into the room and stood in front of Kotaro, examing him.

"It seems the taint has begun to get to him as well..." the mage whispered to himself, noting that Kotaro's blind eye had turned black, "But it doesn't look..."

Negi's eyes widened in surprise before he reached into his medical kit. "Nodoka," he called out, grabbing his ministra's attention, "When I give you the signal, I want you to release him, okay?"

Nodoka nodded her head and began the spell required to free him.

"Now."

Kotaro's swipe was swiftly blocked by one of Negi's own and countered when the mage placed a vial of smelling salts below the half-demon's nose. The effect was instant.

Kotaro shook his head after a moment of howling and rose to his feet, "Wha...Negi?" Kotaro looked around for a moment, "What happened here?"

"You started reacting to a nightmare," Negi informed him, "And you destroyed half this room. You almost killed someone."

Kotaro stared at the mage in disbelief before falling back and placing a hand on his head.

"It's okay guys, you can go," Negi informed the soldiers in the room. They quickly filed out to return to their posts.

"Kotaro..." Yue whispered into his ear as she wrapped her arms around his neck from behind.

"Yue!" Kotaro cried out, whipping around and engulfing her in a bone-crushing hug, "You're okay..."

It didn't take a genius to realize what Kotaro's nightmare had been. The tears running over his fur confirmed it.

"Kotaro..." Negi continued, "You realize you're in your lycanthropic state, don't you?"

"What?" Kotaro asked, looking himself over. He closed his eyes for a brief moment and, when he reopened them, nothing had changed. He was still transformed.

"Kotaro?" Yue asked when he opened his eyes, "You can't go back, can you?"

"No..." he responded, bewildered, "I can't...what's going on here?"

"I was afraid of this," Negi commented as he called the rest the the group into the room. After the others had arrived, he began by telling them what he had learned and concluded after Yue's transformation.

"I'm afraid that it doesn't just end with Yue and Kotaro though," Negi added, his tone of voice dropping, "I'm afraid we're all tainted."


End file.
